


Aliens With Trapper Hats 3: Short Stack!

by Toonfreak



Category: Keroro Gunsou | Sgt. Frog, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Acapella, Gamma - Freeform, Gen, Toaster - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-03-21 11:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 57,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13740237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toonfreak/pseuds/Toonfreak
Summary: This is the third installment of the "Aliens With Trapper Hats" series!Join our heroes once more, as they tackle the stress of everyday life with these fun short stories!(Warning: Some cursing and violence)





	1. Bananas VS Animals

This world was a strange, wonderful, mishmash of organic treasures! Plants could eat bugs! Animals the size of multiple vehicles could live on krill! A bird could dance to gain a family!

Toaster, a little Ruby from Homeworld, was currently sitting in her Earth home watching a nature documentary titled: "Blue Earth! Wonders of the World!"

The red Gem glanced at the beautiful film footage with stars in her eyes!

The narrator continued: "Here, we see the harbor seal with her pup!"

A gray, spotted, seal looked proud on the TV, as the baby, white, fluffy seal barked for food!

"DAAAAWWWWW! It's...It's CUTE! Look! Look! Yellow Diamond! CUTE!" Toaster pointed at the seals with excitement!

Yellow Diamond was not quite herself anymore. To make an incredibly LOOOONG story short- the normally tall, glorious, violent, dictator- was currently stuck in the body of a small yellow kitten. The kitten was laying on the couch. She glanced at the two animals on the TV screen that had the Ruby so excited.

"Mmmph...I think they are rather ugly. The bigger one looks like a blob of tar." The kitten yawned.

Toaster looked disappointed. "Come on...you've gotta admit...the white fluffy one is cute..."

"It looks like a cotton ball with a face."

"Oh..." Toaster seemed disappointed. "Come on Yellow Diamond! There has to be SOME animal on the TV box that you like..."

"Mmmph." The kitten sighed with boredom.

"What about the plant that ate the bug?"

"Grotesque!" The cat stuck out it's tongue!

Toaster stood up, and put her hands on her hips. "Hmph! Well! I think we're going to do something different today!" Toaster proceeded to turn of the television off.

"HEY! I was watching that!" The kitten crinkled her nose.

Toaster picked up the feline.

"Hey!" The Diamond was most unamused.

The Ruby exited the back door of the house, facing the woods.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" The kitten found herself clinging to Toaster in suprise! Her sharp talons dug into the Ruby's shirt. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HEY!" Yellow Diamond suddenly looked absolutely terrified!

Toaster piped up: "I'm going to show you the REAL outside! No more TV! Look! There's a bug!"

"I COMAND you to take me back inside the house! I don't want to be around all this DISGUSTING organic life!" The kitten looked about in a panic!

Instead of listening to her previous leader, Toaster began to lower the feline to the ground.

"AGGGGHHHHH! AGGGHHH! Don't put me down HERE! There's DIRT, and BUGS, and MUD!"

Toaster ignored the cries and placed the kitten on the ground. Yellow Diamond imediately shivered uncomfortably, puffed up, and froze on the spot. Absolutely terrified, the kitten refused to budge.

Toaster smiled! "See Yellow Diamond?! This isn't so bad! Look! Here comes a pillar!"

Sure enough, a massive green caterpillar was crawling quickly towards the cat. The Diamond glanced at the thing in horror.

The Ruby piped up: "Remembers!? A pillar eventually turns into an Orange Wing!"

"G-get that horrific thing away from me! AWAY!" Yellow Diamond began to hit one of her tiny paws against a leaf rapidly in hopes of scaring off the bug! The caterpillar stopped suddenly, and used its legs and mandibles to investigate the strange movement.

"FISSSS!" The kitten puffed up and hissed at the thing!

Rolling her eyes, Toaster picked up Yellow Diamond and began to wander even deeper into the forest. The leader's eye's dialated in fear as she witnessed the safe house disappearing into the distance.

\-------------

"DIG! DIG! DIG A HOLE!"

While the Ruby could not understand the animals around her, Yellow Diamond was having absolutely no trouble eavesdropping on the wildlife's random banter.

What seemed like absolute beautiful bird noise to Toaster, sounded like annoying screaming to the Diamond. The leader was left disgusted! Such a din!

The Ruby looked down at the kitten as she crinkled her nose again. "What's wrong Yellow Diamond? Isn't it pretty?"

"HARDLY." The kitten was disgusted. "It seems that nearly every animal in the area simply wants to repeat their name over and over..."

"OH! That's right! You can understand animals! Quick! What is that one saying?!" Toaster pointed at a songbird singing a happy tune.

The kitten blushed horribly! "Erm...well...he's saying...uh...T-The entire thing is somewhat offensive..." The kitten stuck her head in the Ruby's arm- attempting to cover her ears. "Can we go home now? This is most unpleasant..."

Toaster seemed incredibly disappointed. She was hoping that Yellow Diamond may have found a friend with some of the local wildlife. She seemed so lonely and disappointed lately with the loss of the only other pet in the house- Chirp.

Toaster figured that perhaps domesticated animals were much better conversationalists than wild animals...

\------------

The next day, Toaster came home from the ASPCA carrying a mysterious box with holes.

"Hey! Hey! Yellow Diamond! I have a surprise for you!" Toaster yelled as the kitten came running!

"Fancy food?!" The leader seemed enthused!

"...even better! We ran out of cages at the ASPCA- so this mew is spending the night! Come on out Whiskers!" Toaster opened the temporary cage- a small kitten with one ear flopping over came out of the box cautiously. She glanced around the house, looking quite frightened.

Yellow Diamond was confused by this suprise. She glanced up at Toaster. "Why?"

"Now you can make a friend!"

"I don't need friends." The kitten answered stubbornly.

Whiskers mewed in distress. "Hungwy! Hungwy! Where's food?!"

"What is she saying Yellow Diamond?" The Ruby waited in anticipation!

"I think she wants something to eat."

Toaster nodded, before going into the kitchen to fix up some warm formula.

Whiskers stared at the Diamond, slightly nervous. She began to mew: "Hewwo other kit! I'm sowwy if I'm in your turf. Please don't hurt..." Whiskers proceeded to roll over, and show her soft underbelly to prove she wasn't a threat and could be trusted.

Admittedly, Yellow Diamond had never spoken to another kitten before, and was slightly confused by the gesture. "Why are you rolling over like that?"

"It's my tender side! See? You are the dominant kit here!"

Yellow Diamond suddenly looked proud of herself! Finally! Someone understood that she was regal and should be treated as such!

Whiskers began to roll from side to side on her back. "Hey! Hey! Wanna pway?"

"A Diamond does not "play". A Diamond commands."

Whiskers seemed slightly disappointed, as she rolled over, and stood up. For some reason, the kitten refused to stare directly into Yellow Diamond's eyes. She began to lick her paw, and clean her face.

"WHAT are you doing?"

"I'm taking a bath! Maw cat aways told me to keep my face cwean!" The kitten licked her paw wildly and rubbed it against her forehead. Whiskers came to a realization, and blushed horribly. "OH! I'm sorry new kit! I did not mean to be rude...you are my new fwend after all..."

To Yellow Diamond's complete horror, Whiskers put her paw around the Diamond's neck, and began to lick her forehead!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HISSS!" Yellow Diamond puffed up like a pine cone!

Whiskers looked upon the sight in horror. She rolled over on her back again to show she wasn't a threat. "I-I was cweaning your face!"

"No...you were LICKING my face! What is WRONG with you?!"

Whiskers seemed confused and hurt. "I-I-it's a sign of trust...to help a fwend gwoom..."

"You stay away from me! You hear?! What a revolting practice!"

It was at this point, Toaster entered the room with the formula. To her disappointment, Yellow Diamond was growling at Whiskers- who had her tail between her legs, and was balled up with absolute fear.

"YELLOW DIAMOND! Why are you bullying Whiskers?!"

"SHE started it! She was licking my forehead with her TONGUE! It was DISGUSTING!"

Toaster put her hands on her hips. "Yellow...that gesture means that the kitten wants to be your FRIEND!"

"I don't CARE! It was GROSS!"

Toaster sighed, before picking up Whiskers and attempting to comfort her. "There, there Whiskers...it's ok..."

The new kitten let out a small terrified "MEW!", before the Ruby guided her to the formula.

it seemed, finding Yellow Diamond an animal friend was going to be much more difficult than expected...

\------------

The next day, Toaster put the stubborn kitten in her carrier, and brought her to the pet store.

"Here we go Yellow Diamond! This place is FILLED with potential friends!"

The cat sighed. "You're just...not going to give up on this...are you Ruby?"

"NOPE!" The red Gem shook her head enthusiastically! "Come on! I'll show you the Pair-of-keys!"

\------------

All of the parakeets were squawking and gossiping...that is, until Toaster held the kitten cage up to the birds.

The lot of them suddenly fell silent. There was a CAT in their midst! The birds froze in terror- trying their best to seem uninteresting to the feline.

Toaster piped up: "Well? Go ahead! Start up a conversation!"

"Erm...okay...uh...my name is Yellow Diamond...and...uh...I used to have a parakeet friend...just like you guys!

The flock rebutted:

"I bet you ATE them!"

"YEAH!"

"Stupid cat! Get away from the cage!"

Toaster was unsure what was being said, but by the looks of the kitten's face, the conversation wasn't going well AT ALL.

"R-Ruby...I want to go home...I-this is not working out. Please stop forcing me to find another animal friend. No one can replace Chirp..." The kitten began to cry.

Feeling incredibly guilty, Toaster nodded, and left the pet store.

\------------

Upon returning home, Yellow Diamond sat in the corner, head drooped in disappointment. The kitten couldn't help feeling incredibly alone.

Toaster felt awful. She approached the sad cat, and decided to cheer her up.

"Hey...hey...Yellow Diamond?"

"WHAT?!" The kitten's voice raised and ears dropped in irritation.

"I have lots of snacks! What do 'ya say we finish that aminal show?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"What kind of snacks?"

"Candy, and popped corn, and cheeses!" Toaster smiled enthusiastically!

Another pause... "Alright...but I get to choose the cheese!" The kitten turned her head in the most dramatic way.

\------------

The duo spent the remainder of the night snacking, and watching the strange wildlife of Earth from the safety of their couch.


	2. A Day in the Life Of Yellow Pearl 234XB5

Yellow Pearl 234XB5's life was very...strange. Recently her coworkers had started calling her "Handy"...which seemed both appropriate and (somehow) offensive at the same time.

The sentient hand growing out of Lucky's head was the most odd of anomalies.

She had her own consciousness...yet no gemstone.

She had her own separate set of pain and form, and yet, could only poof if Lucky did.

She used Lucky's ears to hear, but had to use her own hand signs to tell others how SHE felt.

Handy had opinions. If given a pad of paper, she could write Gemmish just as well as anyone. Yes, despite having to hide in her host's hair more than half of her life, Handy was quickly becoming part of the family.

——————

Every morning was the same. Lucky would sleep at night, and give Handy a small watch to hold. When the alarm went off at 7:00 AM, the hand would turn the device off, and poke Lucky annoyingly until she woke up.

If Lucky was brushing her teeth, the Pearl would often have her extra limb brush her hair at the same time. As a reward, Lucky would wash the hand using various lotions, and fix up Handy's nails using a clipper and file.

At one point, a fellow MIB agent introduced Lucky to nail polish...which ended up being an absolutely HORRENDOUS idea. The Yellow Pearl came into work the next morning looking quite bitter. Her hair was completely covered in sticky paint, gloss polish, and alcohol.

Apparently, attempting to paint a hand that was sourounded by hair was NOT a wise decision.

————————

Yellow Pearl 234XB5 couldn't help but feel a bit...useless. Sometimes people would stare and whisper about her. They would make fun of Lucky as well.

When Lucky cried over such matters, Handy would always try to comfort her host by petting her head. Sometimes the two Pearls would hold hands for comfort...other times, Lucky would curse at the retchid thing, making Handy upset. When these angry outbursts occurred, the severed hand would either hide within Lucky's hair in shame, or ruffle her host's haircut- in hopes of ruining it out of frustration.

————————

During a regular work day, Lucky would often hand Yellow Pearl 234XB5 something to entertain her from boredom. The Yellow Pearl had collected an entire arsenal of interesting objects and toys that she kept in her upper desk drawer.

Sometimes Handy would end up holding something useful- like a usb keychain, or a pencil. Her favorites were the desk toys though!

The fidget cube was interesting to play with...as well as the stress ball shaped like an elephant!

At the suggestion of a fellow employee, Lucky tried giving Handy a fidget spinner once. The idiotic toy ended up getting completely stuck in her hair, and took several pairs of scissors to remove.

If Handy was given a pack of sticky notes, she would practice her paper folding skills. She had become quite talented at creating Japanese paper cranes. Sometimes she would make SO many of the things, that if Lucky shifted even slightly, miniature cranes would fall from her hair like snow.

During formal events, Yellow Pearl 234XB5 was absolutely wonderful at holding flowers and elegant hair pieces that would be the envy of the entire party!

————————

Lucky's sister, Iris, often entertained the hand as well. She would play games- like "thumb war" or "rock, paper, scissors".

The trio also enjoyed watching movies on the TV box! The MIB Library had an excellent selection of Human films that included audio description tracks for the vision impaired. It was always a fun activity that the sisters agreed upon. Because Iris couldn't see well, and Handy couldn't see at ALL, the films were always a very special treat!

...Except for the animated film "Ratatouille". While the film was adorable, it resulted in Handy tugging on Lucky's hair...just to see if she could control her sister's arms. After a frustrating week of the hand pulling on her hair at unexpected times throughout the day- Lucky banned her sisters from renting the film EVER again.

————————

Whenever Lucky fell asleep, Yellow Pearl 234XB5 was left to her own devices. Sometimes she just rested- holding a miniature stuffed animal for comfort. If she was wide awake, she would use her own fingers to figure out complicated math problems, imagine what words would sound like if said backwards, or count random noises she heard in the room.

How many times did Lucky snore?

How many times did a neighboring dog bark?

How many times did the AC unit turn on and off?

These activities weren't terribly exciting- but it was better than nothing.

————————

On the rare occasion Yellow Pearl 234XB5 DID fall asleep- she would dream. Normally these strange stories involved what the hand imagined things to look like. Her sisters were always beautiful. Colors were confusing. She imagined the color "green" being fuzzy...or spiky? Blue was always calm...perhaps soft...like a stuffed animal. Her dreams made her wonder what she could do if she was whole. Perhaps she could walk, or eat, or sing, or talk?

Still...

Handy was very greatful to have such a wonderful family. The things she DID have were nothing short of a blessing. The hand was greatful. These thoughts would make her sleep soundly and peacefully.


	3. Restaurant Monster

Acapella LOVED making food for Humans! Every night, folks would line up outside the house in anticipation of the restaurant opening! Typically, the Yellow Pearl only opened the house for business for a few hours a day- specifically, between 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM.

She always had lots of regulars and locals. It seemed that word of mouth had made the restaurant a popular spot for "Human dates". On more than one occasion, male Humans had begged Acapella to bury metal rings into her food before serving it. The Yellow Pearl always refused. Such metals were not safe for Human consumption, and the cook had no interest in getting in trouble over poisoning or injuring someone over such stupid traditions. It certainly didn't help that the metallic rings were always covered in non-sentient diamonds, rubies, pearls and other such things. The entire thing was incredibly creepy to Acapella.

Still, there were many Humans that often purposed their affection toward each other at the restaurant. It was rather common, actually...

The other most typical guests were what Steven called: "Foodies". Aparently, there was an entire population of Humans that did nothing but rate, and obsess over food.

They would take pictures with the food, write reviews about the food, complain about the food, praise the food, describe the pallet of the food, take selfies with the food...the culture reminded Acapella a bit of the upper crusts from Homeworld she had previously cooked for.

...the only difference was that Acapella could now hear the Human's praises on a daily basis. The Pearl loved being complimented!

Overall, Acapella's business was incredibly rewarding!

————————

...and then, one day, THEY showed up.

It was a Friday evening-one of the busiest days of the week. The house was absolutely packed. There were no tables left. It got to the point where only people with reservations could enter.

Gamma was sent to the task of informing the long line of folks that there were no tables left. Several couples left disappointed, but understood the situation. They would try again tomorrow. Most of the guests nodded in appreciation and went to find another eatery.

...Except for two.

There was an elderly woman and her husband. The duo refused to move from their spot- even though they had just arrived and were near the end of the line.

Gamma approached the elderly duo with sympathy. He knew that older humans often had difficulty hearing. "I'm sorry folks. There are no more tables...we're all booked up! I can set up a future reservation, or-"

"-NO." The woman gave a very blunt answer. The Keronian was slightly taken aback. He tilted his head in confusion. The Human continued: "You WILL let us in, and you WILL get us a table."

"Uhhhh...no? We don't have any more spots at the moment...but I can set up a reservation for tomorrow-"

"NO. It is NOT our anniversary TOMORROW. Our anniversary is TODAY."

"OH! Erm...Happy Anniversary? I'm so sorry we don't have space..."

"THIS IS UNEXCEPTABLE! I WISH TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER!"

"Man-a-geer?" The frog tilted his head again. He had NO CLUE what a "manager" was. He paused for a second, thinking to himself, before nodding, and retreating into the house.

The elderly woman nodded in amusement! "THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" The Human seemed contempt and proud of herself.

————————

Several minutes later, the Keronian reappeared with a handful of chocolate mints. He knew Humans liked these...even before eating their actual meal. The Keronian figured that giving the angry Humans chocolate would make them happy again. The frog attempted to smile as he presented the mints to the elderly woman.

"WHAT'S THIS?! THIS is NOT what I asked for!" The Human angrily smacked Gamma's hand to the side- sending the massive amount of candy flying and raining down in every direction!

Gamma looked at the woman in a state of shock, before watching helplessly as the couple forced their way through the front door of the house.

————————

"ALRIGHT! WHICH ONE OF YOU DUMBASSES IS IN CHARGE OF THIS DUMP?! I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH POOR SERVICE!" As the woman slammed the door, and began screaming at the top of her lungs, every single table looked up in suprise! Several families covered their children's ears quickly in response to the woman's cursing.

Acapella stuck her head out the kitchen with shock and curiosity... "Oh STARS..." The Pearl recognized the aggressive Human immediately. It was the same old bag that had insulted both Toaster and herself on the local bus during the duo's first ride.

Acapella rolled her eyes and sighed with stress, before walking out of the kitchen to face (what was sure to be) a fight of the ages! "May I HELP YOU?!" The Gem stared at the woman rather annoyed.

It took several seconds for the elderly woman to connect the dots, before she pointed at Acapella as if she was a living mummy!

"YOU! You're that DAMN foreigner I saw on the bus! No wonder the service here is so horrendous!"

Acapella sighed in frustration. "Look lady...I really don't appreciate you storming in here, upsetting my customers, insaulting my restaurant, and making a complete clown of yourself in the process..."

"CLOWN! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A CLOWN?! At least I'm a NORMAL color! If you were a REAL American, you would give me and my husband a seat in your restaurant...instead of people-like...THEM!" The elderly woman pointed to a random nice family of four who just happened to be a few shades darker than herself. The two children who were sitting with their parents began to cry and hug their family in fear! The father shot the elderly woman a gaze that seemed to signify a string's length away from him punching the old bag in the face!

Acapella was not in the mood for this bull. "Color has NOTHING to do with it! If you were half as intelligent as you claim to be, you would have done the SMART thing and made a reservation...like THAT family did!" The Yellow Pearl beconed toward the same family before continuing: "...But NOOOOO! You were so IDIOTIC and LAZY, you couldn't even bother to plan ahead!"

The restaurant crowd cheered unanimously at the Pearl's rebuttle! The elderly woman fumed in a range, before screaming an entire barrage of blatantly racist and insulting vocabulary for no other reason than to win the argument. The old bag's husband sunk into himself with embarrassment.

Several of the customers began to shout back at the lady- both for the obscene language, and insulting the cook. Soon the entire restaurant was in a violent shouting match! The din was horrendous!

Toaster decided to hide upstairs throughout the entire fiasco. She used one of the upstairs land-line phones to call the police...

———————-

It only took about four minutes for the cops to arrive on the scene. They dragged The verbally abusive woman away- the unwanted guest screaming and kicking all the way to the cop car.

The entire restaurant stood in front of the house with intrigue as the car drove off.

"Well...that was...interesting?" Gamma had never seen such an aggressive Human before. Even the MIB agents with guns seemed less intimidating.

Acapella seemed miffed at the woman. She would be pleasantly surprised if she never saw that Human EVER again. "(Pain in the ass...)" The Gem mumbled to herself before clapping her hands enthusiastically! "OKAY! Come on everyone! Back to cooking! Enough of all...WHATEVER that was..."

The crowd returned to their meals. The peace had been restored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Author’s Note: 
> 
> I WISH I could say that the elderly woman in this story was entirely factitious. The truth is, I have had to deal with a LOT of people like this over the years.
> 
> I worked in retail for about...8 years (give or take) at multiple places- including a movie theatre, big box store, theme park, candy store, and even a retail phone job!
> 
> Throughout those years, I have been called “honey”, “sweetheart”, “chicky”, “baby”, “babe”, and many other things.
> 
> I have been screamed at, cursed at, and blamed for things I had no part of.
> 
> I have had people pull on my ponytail (twice!) to get their attention, and seen kind coworkers insulted because they were from different countries.
> 
> The moral of this story? Please, please, PLEASE be nice to people working in retail and food service! Both jobs involve us having to deal with jerks like this elderly lady ALL. THE. TIME.
> 
> Indeed....


	4. Winter

Winter had begun.

The house had turned incredibly cold. Even with the electric heater, the indoors felt like an icebox. Because Gems were indeed- holograms with mass, the mega temperature change did not affect Acapella or Toaster in the slightest.

Gamma and Yellow Diamond...on the other hand, were struggling.

The small kitten was very much not used to being "cold"...EVER. Being a previous Gem herself, the sensation had never been a problem. The kitten was desperately struggling to stay warm. Yellow Diamond was spending any time eating or walking around the house shivering. She found herself laying on odd places of comfort...the top of the tv, the heater box...and (the most common spot of heat)- somewhere near the Ruby.

If Toaster was asleep on the couch- Yellow Diamond would fall asleep somewhere on the furniture or the floor nearby. If Toaster was asleep in her room, the Diamond would sleep underneath the Ruby's bed. If the Ruby went to the ASPCA...well...Yellow Diamond would howl in discomfort. After two weeks of howling and complaining, Acapella FINALLY caved in, and invested in an electric blanket.

The Yellow Pearl plugged the thing into the wall. "THERE! Now quit your fussing! I have work to do!"

Silently grateful, the kitten shuffled her way underneath the blanket, and proceeded to wrap herself up like a cocoon. This area near the blanket would be the cat's permanent sleeping place for the next few months.

————————

Gamma was experiencing a completely different set of problems. Being a cold-blooded alien, the chill did not bother him.

However...the Keronian WAS feeling sluggish and fatigued. The heat button on his hat seemed to be broken from overuse. He kept dozing off in the most odd places. His body was begging for hibernation. On more than one occasion the frog would be found- on the floor, in a closet, near a window- completely curled up and unnaturally stiff. This normal pastime was freaking out Toaster especially. Gamma would become somewhat cold, and frozen solid when his body temperature went too low.

This resulted in Acapella investing in a second, more portable electric blanket so that the Keronian could move about the house without becoming comatose.

————————

A day came about two weeks after the cold front hit. In the middle of the night, a flurry fell from up above! Droplets of frozen water began to appear from the sky!

The next morning, all the residents of the house were shocked! None of them had seen snow before!

Toaster remembered one of her nature documentaries talking about "snow", while displaying the life-cycle of a penguin. She recalled the narrorator stressing that the cold snow could be dangerous to penguin eggs, and the massive flock of birds had to huddle for warmth.

Despite there only being a few inches of frozen water outside, the Ruby informed her friends that the Earth documentary had specifically stated that the stuff could cause death.

Scared as ever, the family decided to stay inside for safety purposes. The stuff would probably disappear eventually anyway.

Unfortunately, the snow wasn't gone the next day...or the day after that...or the day after that one.

Food started to become scarce. With no way of leaving the house for groceries, Acapella made the difficult decision to ration. Until further notice, all the food went to the frog and the kitten. Toaster complained, but the Yellow Pearl stressed that they (as Gems) didn't need the food to survive like the others.

————————

The following night, a blizzard wept through! Tree branches fell! Debris got tossed! The wind howled in aggravation and (as a final blow), all the power in the house was knocked out.

Yellow Diamond awoke several hours later, shivering in discomfort. It seemed the electric blanket had stopped working, and was no longer producing heat.

The house was incredibly eerie- unusually dark, and cold, and quiet. The tiny kitten struggled up the stairs using brute force and desperation. She entered Toaster's room, and quickly jumped on top of the massive bed, before digging herself underneath the Gem's blankets, and leaning against Ruby's back for warmth.

The kitten soon fell asleep again.

————————

The morning came, but the house's lighting was...strange. All of the first floor windows had been buried by frozen water. The home's pipes didn't seem to be working correctly. The lack of power had transformed Gamma into a comfortable icicle. His heart rate had slowed down to a crawl and his body was stiff as he slept. The creature breathed slowly...hibernation.

Yellow Diamond, meanwhile, refused to leave Toaster's side after she awoke. The kitten resorted to a pathetic state- commanding and begging with mercy to be held constantly, so that she wouldn't freeze to death.

Toaster proceeded to swaddle the small kitten into a warm bedspread, and carry her about the house. "Acapella! We can't stay here! Yellow is shivering like crazy...and Gamma has turned into a slush ball!" The Ruby was unsure what to do, and was hoping her intelligent friend would have a solution.

Acapella, unfortunately, was a bit distracted. The Pearl was desperately attempting to turn on the kitchen sink. The pipes groaned in stress, but water refused to leave the spicket. The Yellow Gem cursed. "I think the pipes are frozen." It was obvious that the situation had become dire. Without food, water, OR heat- it was obvious that Gamma and Yellow Diamond could parish.

Acapella attempted to call someone from the land line- the phone was dead. Desperate for options, the Pearl attempted to open the back door of the house. A massive wall of white greeted her at the door, before shivering slightly and collapsing!

The Yellow Gem yelped in surprise, as a miniature avalanche piled on top of her!

Acapella emerged several seconds later- popping out of the snow pile with the most unamused look on her face. "ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! THAT...IS...IT! I'M FED UP! TOASTER! GO GRAB THE KERONIAN! I can't TAKE it anymore!"

————————

Several minutes later, Acapella was carrying the swaddled kitten in one hand, and the frozen Keronian in the other.

The Yellow Pearl gave Toaster permission to radiate enough heat to melt the massive pile of snow that had caved into the house.

Toaster started walking through the back door- her heat radiating just enough to make a massive snow cave leading outside of the house. Acapella followed the small red Gem, and instructed her to find the Warp Pad as quickly as possible. Toaster wandered around a bit, before finding the bottom half of a familiar tree.

"Hey! We're close!" Toaster stated enthusiastically! "...see? This is the tree with the old Human face!" Toaster pointed at a knot in the tree's root that- indeed, looked like a Human face.

Acapella grunted in unamusement. "That's great Toaster. REEEAL helpful. Can you...maybe...find the ACTUAL Warp Pad though?! These two are getting heavy..."

Toaster proceeded to walk in the general direction of where she thought the Warp Pad was.

————————

Thirty minutes and several circles later, the Warp Pad finally came into view.

"Thank the STARS!" Yellow Pearl rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Let's get the frack out of here..."

The family stood on the Warp Pad and activated it quickly...

————————

Steven and his family were bundled up and comfortable. It had snowed at their house too...but the fact that they were so close to the sea, meant that the salt water was preventing snow from building up.

The family was happy to have a decent heating system, and greatful to still have power...

All of a sudden, the Warp Pad activated unexpectedly! A massive ton of snow appeared and fell with a massive "WOMP!"

"What the?!" Amethyst looked at the pile of snow in confusion.

...

Several seconds later, the pile of snow transformed into a massive puddle- revealing Toaster, an exausted Acapella, and both a frozen kitten and Keronian.

Steven and his family stood up in shock! They knew the family lived more inland...but did NOT expect the surprise visit- nor the family to be in such horrendous condition.

Garnet quickly nabbed Gamma and Bananas from Acapella, and carried the duo into the burning room of the temple. The fusion figured that if a pool full of magma couldn't unfreeze the duo, NOTHING would.

————————

Yellow Diamond yawned, and smacked her lips. She had fallen asleep after being taken to a warm spot. It had been several hours since the swaddled bundle had been brought into the burning room.

As the kitten's sight focused, the Diamond spotted the hundreds of bubbled Gems resting near the ceiling!

"AAAAGGH!" The massive scream woke up the Keronian instantly. Now very much unfrozen, Gamma turned to the cat with fatigue and annoyance. He followed Yellow Diamond's gaze to the new room's ceiling...

"WOAH...that's a LOT of bubbles..." Gamma nodded as he stated the obvious.

Quite quickly (and unexpectedly), Garnet entered the burning room looking confused.

"I heard a scream." The fusion stated bluntly.

Thinking quick on his feet, the Keronian responded: "Oh! Yeah! Sorry about that...that was me. I was not expecting to be waking up in a room filled with lava and bubbled Gems. Kind of a shock..."

Garnet nodded with understanding. "Try to get some more rest." The fusion plainly stated before leaving the room once more.

As soon as the coast was clear, Gamma approached Yellow Diamond, and attempted to tug off her translation collar. The kitten gagged several times in discomfort. It seemed throughout all the excitement of getting out of the storm, the family had forgotten to remove the device that would certainly expose the secret that Bananas was actually Yellow Diamond.

Try as he might, it seemed the translation collar was stuck.


	5. Cat Out of the Bag

"This is BAD. This is really, REALLY, BAD!" Gamma seemed to be freaking out entirely. "If the Crystal Gems figure out that YOU are actually Yellow Diamond, AND that we've been keeping the matter secret...well...I have NO CLUE how they'll react!"

Yellow Diamond thought to herself for several seconds. "What if...I just don't say anything?! A silent kitten!"

Gamma scoffed. "You can't even be picked up without making a fuss!"

The kitten huffed. "Well, what if I just made cat noises?"

"Let's hear it."

Yellow Diamond cleared her throat: "MeOw! MEOW-MEOW! M-EEEEE-OW!" The noise sounded incredibly fake and horrendous. It basicly resembled a very phonetically-forced "meow" in a regal Yellow Diamond voice.

Gamma facepalmed himself. "We're DOOMED..."

————————

The duo finally exited the burning room on their own. The Keronian seemed nervous. He had decided to be incredibly blunt with the Diamond, and told her that her cat impersonation was horrendous. She should stay as quiet as possible.

"OH!" The renegade Pearl clapped her hands pleasantly! "Hello Gamma! Hello little kitty! Glad to see you are both doing ok!"

"Yeah! Thanks to you guys! I would have been stuck like that for two months if you hadn't warmed me up!" The frog nodded in gratitude.

"You are welcome to go back inside the burning room if need be- just ask us, and don't touch anything while in there."

"Sounds like a good compromise!" The Keronian nodded.

Bananas the cat said nothing to the matter, but stood on her hind legs, and clapped her front paws together repeatedly!

"DAAAAWWW!" The room filled with cooing noises.

The renegade Pearl picked up the pet with joy. "I swear, your kitten is just the most adorable thing!" The cat closed her eyes in pride.

It was at this point that Acapella stared at Yellow Diamond- completely complexed. Gamma pulled her to the side and mumbled something about Banana's collar. The Yellow Pearl's eyes suddenly grew huge.

"Erm...Pearl? Could I please take Bananas? I need to make sure she's not hungry..."

"OH! Certainly!" Pearl handed the kitten over.

Acapella whisked the cat behind the kitchen counter- before attempting to force the collar off. The kitten gagged several times. Acapella stopped abruptly...not wanting to hurt the creature. She whispered sternly: "(Be CAREFUL Diamond...)"

The cat nodded, before walking out into the open again.

Amethyst spotted the kitten, and (to Yellow Diamond's surprise) transformed into a purple feline herself. Bananas jumped slightly!

"Hey kitten! I'm a cat now too! See?!" The purple Gem chuckled at the younger feline's expression.

Bananas said nothing (of course), but gave the Amethyst a look of pure annoyance. To the amusement of Amethyst, when she attempted to play with her smaller counterpart, the kitten simply sat and shuffled her tail in frustration.

Completely in a huff- Bananas attempted to climb the wooden stairs to get away from the crowd.

————————

Upon reaching the second floor where Steven's room was, the Diamond imediately regretted her decision. In the middle of the floor was a MASSIVE...FURRY...PINK...LION.

The kitten poofed up in a fright! The beast lifted his head in curiosity as he heard the terrified squeak come from Bananas. As the lion stood and sauntered toward the creature with curiosity. It was immediately evident that Yellow Diamond had made a horrendous mistake. The massive pet was (at least) fifty times her own size.

Lion proceeded to sniff the cat, before immediately recognizing the scent, and gave a massive growl which shook the floor! "I KNOW who you are...that scent...that scent...is one of...a DIAMOND!" The lion's voice was deep, regal, and incredibly terrifying.

The small kitten began to back up in fear, as the Lion prepared an attack stance... ready to pounce, maul, and protect his family.

Bananas scurried back down the stairs as quickly as possible! Lion jumped swiftly to the first floor and released a major sonic "ROAR!", sending the little kitten flying across the room!

"LION! NO!" Steven barreled forward, and caught Bananas quickly before she slammed into a wall.

Garnet quickly attempted to restrain the massive jungle cat- the beast standing on his hind legs, and snapping his jaws toward the little pet.

"What has gotten into him?!" Pearl yanked a spear out of her gemstone and quickly stood between Lion and Steven.

This entire fiasco left Acapella, Toaster, and Gamma baffled. Why was there a LION in the house?! Why was it Pink?! Who keeps a pet LION?!

Lion let out another loud "ROAR!"

In pure adrenaline-filled shock, the small kitten yelled: "DON'T LET HIM EAT ME!"

...

Everything in the room froze. Even Lion seemed to stare at the kitten in suprise!

Garnet dropped her visor. Pearl's mouth stood agape as she turned around to face the small feline. Even Steven was so shocked he ended up dropping the cat, who fell to the floor with a small "OOMPH!"

The Lion closed his eyes, and gruffed in satisfaction. Now that his family knew of the threat they could take care of themselves. The jungle cat yawned in relaxation, before sauntering back upstairs, and falling asleep again on Seven's floor.

In unison, all the Crystal Gems shouted: "YELLOW DIAMOND?!"

"...oh Stars..." The kitten drooped her head in shame.

————————

Garnet had placed the tiny kitten in a floating bubble. Yellow Diamond attempted to run out of the sphere, but only ended up making the bubble go fast enough to make her do several loops, before falling upside down.

"UGH. I picked her up, and called her...ADORABLE..." the renegade Pearl seemed incredibly disgusted with herself.

Garnet seemed...incredibly dissatisfied. The fusion folded her arms in frustration. "I KNEW there was something off about that cat...Toaster!" The little red Gem sat up straight looking incredibly guilty. Garnet continued:"-how long have you known about this?!"

The Ruby swallowed in nervousness. "Erm...uh...several months? Ever since Chirp went to the rainbow bridge...that's when Acapella put the special translation collar on her."

"I see."

Amethyst butted in: "Soooooo...what should we do with her now? We can't just allow her to roam about. She's like- the epitome of evil or whatever...right?"

Accapella responded: "Aparently, the Galactic Council decided that turning her into an organic kitten, and giving her to Toaster as a pet WAS her punishment." The Yellow Pearl nodded. "I don't think we were supposed to figure out she was the previous monarch. We haven't informed the MIB or anyone else that we are aware of her secret..."

Steven looked up at the small cat- struggling to stand up in the bubble. "I think...she makes a much better cat than a Diamond. Her true form is really-super terrifying..." the boy shivered remembering his previous encounters of the dictator. He had to remind himself how willing the Gem was to shatter him during his (supposed) "fair" trial on Homeworld.

"Let me out of this stupid bubble you CLODS! I can't stand up in here!" Yellow Diamond barked at the crowd below, with incredibly little fanfare.

Toaster decided to pipe up: "Yellow Diamond really HAS changed a lot as a mew...she even attempted to save Chirp during the house fire! I know she is still kinda rude, but she has been feeling incredibly guilty for her past crimes..."

"...as she SHOULD be!" It was obvious that the renegade Pearl had VERY little sympathy for the dictator.

"-Toaster is correct." Gamma nodded. "She is still learning a lot about manners...but she now has a better understanding of organic life, and has shown signs of empathy and improvement."

"You guys know I'm RIGHT HERE...RIGHT?! Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room!" The kitten bellowed from up above!

The Diamond was ignored entirely. The massive group below stood in a brief awkward silence- contemplating on what to do next.

Garnet was the first one to speak: "Let her out. She is no longer a major threat."

"Oh, Garnet...are you sure?!" The renegade Pearl seemed more bitter than the fusion.

Garnet simply nodded, grabbed the bubble holding the frisky feline, and proceeded to let Yellow Diamond out of her transparent prison. The fusion held the kitten by the scruff so that she could get a good look at the interesting transformation. The Diamond found her muscles naturally curling into a ball as the result of the scruff hold. "Hmmm..." Garnet examined the cat from every angle, before nodding to herself, and putting the feline on the floor.

The kitten quickly ran under the couch- ashamed and spooked.

Amethyst looked under the couch with interest.

"Keep away from me you horrendous OFF COLOR! AWAY!" The cat hissed.

"Pffft!-" Amethyst knew she should be offended, but hearing that regal angry voice coming out of such a small pathetic animal was absolutely hilarious! "I can see why the Galactic Council chose this punishment! This is...like...the BEST most AMUSING thing...EVER.”

"I COMMAND you not to laugh at me...you...you...defective CLOD!"

"PFFFT! Yeah...that's not going to happen." Amethyst answered.

————————

After the family explained the very...ODD story from the beginning. There was a much better understanding among both parties. The renegade Pearl still felt extremely ashamed for complimenting the cat, and giving her pieces of candy during the politeness lesson.

"Honestly? That lesson was for Yellow Diamond anyway." Acapella nodded in conformation.

The kitten finally gained the courage to crawl out from underneath the couch after everything had been explained and calmed down a bit. The cat looked around before staring at Steven specifically. "Thank you for catching me when I flew across the room..." The kitten squinted "You seem...familiar?"

"You-you mean, you don't remember me?"

The kitten seemed frustrated. "A...a ugly human...where did I see..."

"HEY! Don't call me ugly! That isn't nice!" Steven flushed in a rage.

Yellow Diamond crinkled her nose in frustration, before Seven lifted his shirt-revealing his gemstone.

The kitten jumped in suprise! "YOU! The ROSE QUARTZ! You murdered my little sister, and completely destroyed the roof of our trial room! What are you doing back here on Earth?! You...EVIL...EVIL THING!" The cat began to hiss and spit in a rage.

"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH OF THAT!" Garnet gritted her teeth in hatred. "Steven did NOT murder Pink Diamond! He falsely admitted to the crime in hopes that you would leave the Earth alone! You were abducting his friends!"

"...only to make my sister, Blue, happy! She seems to be very fond of this planet, and wanted to make sure we preserved at least one of every breed of Human before the Cluster emerged!" The kitten sighed in frustration. "...of course this was before we found out that the Cluster had been marked as dormant. Doesn't matter much now anyway..." the cat huffed in frustration. She had figured this "Steven" was not the TRUE Rose Quartz...he looked WAY too different. Still, she was secretly hoping that the culprit had finally been found. The kitten drooped her head in dissapointment. "I still miss her deeply...Pink Diamond." The kitten shed a tear, before composing herself- looking quite tired. The cat yawned. "I-I'm hungry...and sleepy...damn this organic body..." the kitten began to nod off.

Toaster picked up Yellow Diamond and sat with her on the couch. The kitten curled into herself, and ended up falling asleep in a tiny ball.

Toaster piped up: "She falls asleep randomly like this a LOT...probably because the council decided to transform her into a BABY mew. It's been months, and she hasn't grown AT ALL...so I think she's going to stay a baby as long as she's like this." The Ruby nodded.

"How very odd...what a...strange and ironic punishment..." Garnet nodded to herself.


	6. Friend

When Yellow Diamond woke up, she found herself in an old play pen. The bottom was soft and the walls were made of mesh. The unique prison had a cloth roof, and was completely covered with pictures of ducks and sheep. Someone had placed a thermal blanket with "Breakfast Friends" print inside of the pen...as well as a dish of fresh water and tuna.

"WHA?! WHERE AM I?! WHERE IS THIS?! WHY IS THIS BLANKET COVERED IN SAD FOOD?!" The kitten began to scream in a rage!

"Oh! You're awake!" The Renegade Pearl glanced into the pen with amusement.

"Why am I in here renegade?!" The cat growled.

"Oh! This?! This is Steven's old play pen!" Pearl smiled.

"...and WHY did you put me in this soft prison?!" The kitten looked incredibly annoyed.

"Weeeeeeellll...one: I don't trust you...at all. No mater WHAT Toaster says...and two..." Pearl shifted to the side and pointed her thumb at a growling lion. "-it's also protecting YOU from HIM."

Yellow Diamond puffed up like a pinecone in fear! "Ahhh...I-I see..." The kitten nodded.

"Yeah. You may be able to walk wherever you wish when in Acapella's house- but in MY house- you are still considered a criminal."

To the Pearl's surprise, Yellow Diamond sighed, and decided to settle underneath the thermal blanket. She did not complain. She did not argue. She simply layed down, and rested her head on a wad of blankets.

The Gem inquired: "What's this?! No complaints?"

"If you think this is an appropriate punishment for my crimes, I will not argue. I cannot even begin to imagine what I could do to make up for my sins. Some of the things I've done have been inexcusable..." The kitten sighed again, before turning away. "Just...just...go."

Pearl found the dictator's attitude...VERY out of character. Either she had heard this shpeel before, or simply accepted the fact that she was a generally awful being and deserved whatever punishment was thrown at her. Pearl suddenly felt oddly guilty. Perhaps it was because she looked like an adorable kitten...or perhaps it was because the Diamond was obviously suffering from depression...either way, the Pearl decided to leave the kitten alone.

Yellow Diamond's thoughts turned back to her friend Chirp. She sighed with grief, and slowly cried herself to sleep.

————————

"BOOOOOOM!" The kitten awoke with a start as a massive rumble erupted and shook the house!

There were shouts of panic from both families outside, as the roof of the house caved in! Planks of wood and drywall collapsed all around the play pen! The kitten looked around wildly, in a massive panic!

Suddenly a strange low voice boomed through the house: "PAIN...I HAVE PAIN...I NEED HELP...HELP HERE?!"

Yellow Diamond attempted to look up, but her gaze was blocked by the play pen's roof. The leader could hear a digging sound, as the mysterious stranger continued to rip the house apart! A chunk of drywall hit against the play pen's mesh- resulting in a major rip through the cloth. The kitten jumped out quickly, and hid underneath the living room couch again for safety.

From up above, the cat heard din of the Crystal Gems (as well as her own friends) attacking something on the roof! Even the massive lion had left the house to help.

Yellow Diamond was all alone.

Suddenly, a gargantuan, four-legged something bounded through the ceiling to avoid any further injury. The creature was HUGE...about the size of a fully grown elephant! It was blue, with a massive tuft of white fur going down it's back. The creature seemed to have no eyes, but did bare a massive maw and a tail. There were orange spots all over the monster as well.

The Diamond hid in a panic, looking at the disgusting thing, before seeing a gemstone on the creature's right sholder...corruption.

"(oh my stars...)" The Diamond whispered to herself in a shock. She had never seen a corrupted Gem so close before! The sight was terrifying. The kitten suddenly felt a tinge of guit as she remembered: these corrupted Gems were (at least partially), her fault as well.

The creature sniffed about the house, before letting out a massive sad groan: "SOMEONE HELP! IT HURTS! IT ITCHES!"

Despite her better judgement, Yellow Diamond decided to inquire from below the safety of her couch: "WHAT itches?!"

The creature sniffed around in shock...attempting to find the source of the noise. When she found nothing, she decided to humor the invisible voice: "MY BACK! MY BACK ITCHES! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE WHERE I CAN'T REACH!"

Yellow Diamond sympathized. She recalled having the same problem on a fairly regular basis.

STILL...this was a CORRUPTED Gem...violent, sickly, stupid, possibly contagious. Yellow Diamond recognized the gemstone, but only by shape. The color had horrific splotches all over it, making the precise Gem classification impossible to identify. This creature had once been a soldier- whether an Amethyst, Jasper, Rose Quartz or...something else? The leader was unsure.

The corrupted Gem continued to sniff around the house for the source of the mysterious voice.

The kitten thought to herself, before coming up with a conclusion. "I-If you PROMISE not to attack me...I will help you!"

"YOU NO ATTACK ME TOO?"

"I will not attack you."

The corrupted Gem gruffed before settling on the wooden floor and lying down.

Yellow Diamond cautiously approached the massive beast. If the lion was fifty times bigger than herself...well...than, THIS creature was four times bigger than the lion! The corrupted Gem sniffed toward the kitten curiously. The small feline had a familiar scent...how did she know this smell? She couldn't remember...

...

...for some reason, the corrupted Gem felt both protected and terrified by this creature. Despite her small size, this kitten seemed...important? YES! That was it! The small yellow puff was important! The massive animal layed perfectly still as the cat used her small claws to climb up the beast's back.

As Yellow Diamond wrestled through the creature's hair, she felt immediate regret and disgust. She could see everything the monster could not...chunks of Earth, a mysterious rash, sticks, fleas, tree sap...

The kitten gagged in disgust. "Am I getting close?!"

"WHOLE BACK ITCH...BUT WORST SPOT BETWEEN SHOLDERS..."

As the kitten reached her destination, she could immediately see the problem. A tick had planted itself between the two sholder blades. The insect was huge and confused. It was attempting to drink blood by digging it's mandibles deep into the creature's flesh. Gems had no blood...so the bug was simply causing discomfort.

"THWACK!" The kitten smacked the bug off with such a force, that the idiotic thing was sent flying into the distance! What an annoyance! That organic seemed to have absolutely NO purpose but to cause discomfort. Disgusting!

The massive creature sighed in relief, before relaxing. "THANK YOU SMALL PUFF! I GREATFUL AND HAPPY!"

"Glad to hear it. You really SHOULD clean your hair more often though! It's FILTHY up here!"

"CAN'T REACH..." the creature drooped with sadness before letting the kitten slide off her head to safety.

Yellow Diamond itched herself upon reaching the wooden floor. GREAT. She had probably picked up several insects by doing her "good deed" of the day...

It was about this time when the front door to the house slammed open! The corrupted Gem let out a massive: "RRROOAR!", before standing over her small new friend in defense.

"YELLOW DIAMOND!" Toaster yelled in fear!

Pearl readied a spear in case the corrupted Gem decided to attack.

"WAIT! WAIT! ALL OF YOU CLODS!" The kitten stood her ground. "This Corrupted Gem is NOT dangerous! She just needs a good bath!" The kitten climbed back onto her new friend again to prove a point.

Shocked, the group lowered all their weapons in unison. The monster settled, and layed on the floor.

————————

The corrupted Gem was emitting a peaceful purr-like noise. The Crystal Gems had collected every chair and brush in the house. The massive party had already cleaned the creature off with some towels soaked in warm water. They were now attempting to comb the Gem's fur, as well as fixing the creature's bug problem.

Acapella, Toaster, and Gamma were also helping.

"MERCY! No wonder she was so angry!" The renegade Pearl found a stash of HUGE prickly brambles underneath the creature's front arm.

"I would be angry too...if I had all this stuff all over me..." Gamma uprooted a massive stick from the creature's side.

"HEY! A Pair-of-Keys nest!" Toaster pulled a very small circle of twigs from one of the animal's mats. To her dissapointment, the eggs on the inside had already hatched.

"Actually Toaster, that's a hummingbird's nest! Too small for a parakeet...plus, wild budgies live in Australia." The renegade corrected her.

"Oh..."

Amethyst found a large beetle while brushing the fur, and handed the prize to Gamma. The frog nodded in thanks, before eating it.

"UGH..." Acapella stuck her tongue out at the Keronian in disgust.

Garnet was using one of Lion's flea combs to get rid of the itchy pests. "I STILL can't believe you can talk to corrupted Gems Yellow Diamond..." The fusion seemed impressed.

The kitten puffed up her chest in pride! "I didn't know I could do that either! You're Welcome!"

The fusion rolled her eyes at the quip-although no one could see the action. "(Such humbleness...)" she mumbled to herself.

—————————

Many hours of cleaning, snipping, brushing, and wiping passed, before the corrupted Gem looked good as new!

"THANK YOU ALL! I'M SORRY I RUINED THE ROOF OF CAVE...WAS SCARED!"

The massive creature blushed in embarisment. Toaster inquired: "What did she say Yellow Diamond?!"

"OH! Erm...she thanked everyone, apologized for ruining the roof, and claims she did it because she was scared..."

The renegade Pearl sighed. "Yes...the poor roof. I guess these things can't be helped sometimes. We were the ones to attack her FIRST, after all..." The Pearl gazed up at the ceiling grimly. A blue tarp had been placed over the massive hole as a quick fix.

Steven's eyes lit up! "I can't believe you can talk to corrupted Gems! That's SO COOL!"

"Indeed. It is a most helpful skill." Garnet nodded, before continuing: "Yellow Diamond...I am going to ask you a very serious request."

The kitten looked up at the fusion, slightly intimidated by her ominous gaze.

Garnet continued: "As of this point in time, the only way to bring peace to our own corrupted friends has been to poof and bubble them-as you saw in that burning room. None of us have been able to understand their needs or feelings ...until now." The fusion nodded before continuing: "I would personally be honored if you could join us on missions as a translator. Of course, if we DID do this, everyone would refer to you as "Bananas" again...for safety purposes. There are a LOT of rebel Gems that...aren't your BIGGEST fans..."

The kitten seemed surprised at this! She looked at the floor...deep in thought. This was an important decision. On ONE hand, corrupted Gems were known for being violent, stupid, dirty, wretched things! On he other hand...

...on the other hand...

The kitten's guilt screamed into the heavens! "This is YOUR fault! YOUR fault! They are like this, because of YOU! They are violent, stupid, dirty...because of YOU. YOU did this to them! YOU!"

The kitten shivered. Her own guilt and shame overwhelming her. "I...I...I'll do it. Under TWO conditions!"

Garnet folded her arms-waiting for a response.

"I know this is going to sound rather...odd, but I would actually prefer you ALL to call me "Bananas" over "Yellow Diamond" from now on. I...wish to start this new life with a new name. Because that is the name Toaster has given me, that is what I shall be called from now on."

"...and the second request?"

Bananas turned toward the massive, clean, corrupted soldier. She was currently resting in a sunbeam on the floor of the house- soaking up some rays of sunshine. The kitten turned toward the Ruby. "Toaster...I know this is A LOT to ask for...but...I have finally found a friend. I wish for her to stay with us."

The kitten looked back at the sleeping beast.

Acapella's eyes became incredibly huge! "NO! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Where would we even keep such a massive thing?!"

Toaster nodded with pride! "A new friend for you! I'll help you brush her!"

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!" The Yellow Pearl squawked!

"Hmmmm...DEAL!" Garnet nodded and smiled.

"-this is NOT your decision to make FUSION!" Acapella was in histarics!

"Wecome to the family...Lilly!" Toaster nodded!

"DON'T NAME IT! STARS!" The Yellow Pearl was beside herself! She wasn't even sure where they would keep a being of this size...


	7. What About The Zircon?

"(Oh my stars...oh frack...oh shale...what to do? What to do?)" The Yellow Zircon was mumbling obscenities to herself.

The Gem was shivering with adrenaline and fear. She was unsure WHAT had made her spontaneously run from the trial- she had been stupid...like the Rubies. Yes! Yes! That was it! The Rubies made her do it! She certainly respected her glorious leader! She was a very loyal Zircon after all! Yes indeed!

...and yet...

She was afraid. She was afraid of the trial going south so fast! She was afraid of the electrocution device! She was afraid of getting crushed and stepped upon!

She was a coward. An absolutely terrible lawyer! The Keronians would win the trial for SURE now...

The Zircon did the only thing she could think of- she hid. The Gem was currently hiding in an air vent she had found ajar after running into the main hall from the Debate room.

The Gem watched with slight curiosity through the lined peep holes in the vent as multiple species walked by.

She couldn't stay here...certainly someone would notice her eventually? The Zircon began to crawl through the maze of vents. Stars, it had been a long day...

————————

Pleasent smells led her to the vent above the kitchen. As she looked downward, she could see various species prepping meals for room service...as well as a complimentary breakfast for the guests.

She saw a tray of fresh donuts and muffins. The Zircon waited patiently...

————————

When the cooks finally took their lunch break, the Gem saw an opportunity! She quickly shape shifted, and extended her arms out of the vent to nab the platter of donuts and muffins.

Upon lugging the food back to her hiding spot, she put the vent grate back in place.

Was the Zircon hungry? Not in the slightist. Was she freaking out? You better believe it! The lawyer began to wildly shove the various pastries into her mouth- stress eating. She had a horrendous habit of doing this on Homeworld too. Between trials, she would order alien snacks, and feast upon them when the stress became too difficult to handle.

————————

Upon returning from their lunch break, the cooks seemed confused and agitated. The entire platter of donuts and muffins had gone missing! That platter was meant to serve twenty! Frustrated, the cooking team started yelling at each other! Blaming everyone but themselves for the crime! Who had eaten the breakfast? Certainly one of them had snuck away from the break room and stolen the food?

Well...that was that. The team would have to prep another platter.

After the heat had died down a bit, the cooks worked twice as fast to re-create the pastries AND continue with their regular duties. After several hours of chaos, the cooks were relieved that their shift was over. They stored the new platter in a refrigerator for tomorrow's complimentary breakfast, before clocking out, and wishing each other a pleasant evening.

————————

...

As soon as the lights dimmed, and the workers had gone, the vent on the ceiling opened again! Once more, two arms extended toward the refrigerator, and managed to grab the platter full of donuts and muffins.

————————

The next morning, the cooks seemed incredibly baffled! Yet AGAIN the donuts and muffins were gone! The crowd outside waited for their complimentary breakfast. Completely defeated, the cooks served and brought out the remainder of the breakfast food.

Several of the guests seemed disappointed at the lack of pastries.

The Zircon felt a tinge of guilt. She just couldn't help herself! Eating was the only thing that calmed her nerves- and pastries tended to be her favorite...

————————

For the next couple of days, the cooks refused to make any more muffins OR donuts. If the mysterious ghost was going to eat their wares anyway, spending time making the food was pointless.

The Zircon was dissapointed. She had caused such a major inconvenience due to her lack of self control.

————————

As the days flew forward, the Gem got most of her news through her hiding place. The cooks LOVED to banter as they went through the motions of their everyday jobs.

The conversation went from: "The trial is over, the Gems lost."

...to: "Blue Diamond is still looking for that Zircon lawyer."

...to: "The Diamond returned to Homeworld today."

...to: "It's slowed down quite a bit! We haven't gotten any room service orders!"

At this point, the hidden Zircon was pretty sure her life was now spared...still, the cooks agreed that nothing had been stolen from the kitchen in a while. It was time to make donuts and muffins again!

The Zircon seemed slightly guilty and excited at the notion of eating more pastries!

The cooks worked, and soon the room smelled heavenly once more! All the donuts and muffins were stored in the refrigerator again. The creatures congratulated each other, before clocking out for the night.

...

As soon as the coast was clear, the Zircon went back to her old tricks. She extended her arms, and reached for the pastries...

"SNAP!"

The Gem howled in pain before falling out of the vent, and landing flat on her face! Apparently, someone had sourrounded the pastry platter with snap traps! The Gem quickly contorted her arms back into their original position, before painfully removing the traps from her fingers!

The lights in the kitchen turned back on in response to the din. All four of the cooks re-entered the room and stood over the Zircon- hands on their hips disapprovingly. They had been waiting outside the kitchen in hopes of catching the culprit red handed.

The Zircon turned onto her back, and looked up at the cooks with the most sheepish and guilty expression!

"Ha! The Zircon!" One of the cooks nodded! "So that's where you've been hiding!"

The lawyer responded: "I-I don't suppose you could just let me stay in the vents?"

The cooks howled with laughter! "HA! If you eat OUR food, you'll need a respectable job to earn your keep!"

————————

It is said, that if you go to the Galactic Council Building, the hotel now has a Zircon bellhop!


	8. Lilly

After five days, the snow had finally almost melted away.

...and what a five days it had been!

"Lilly" the newly named corrupted Gem monster was NOT exactly graceful or well behaved. The creature acted similarly to a massive dog.

She would wag her gargantuan tail when excited or happy...which resulted in things breaking and falling off of all the shelves in the house.

The creature's breath was rancid. Pearl attempted to fix this problem by feeding the animal several packs of mints a day. While Lilly ate the mints willingly- it really didn't improve the smell all that much. The fact was, there were very FEW things that Lilly WOULDN'T try to eat.

She chewed on tables. She ate bowls...as well as plates and silverware. She had also torn apart some of Steven's bed, and scuffed up a LOT of the wooden floor.

"DAWWW! She's just like ME! Eating everything...causing destruction..." Amethyst scratched Lilly behind one of her horns.

"Groooooo!" The creature purred!

"-HEY! Do you guys think she could be an Amethyst?!" The Purple Gem quipped excitedly, as Lilly began to sharpen her claws on the wall.

"AMETHYST! DON'T ENCOURAGE HER! At LEAST stop petting her while she's destroying the house!" Pearl was obviously not amused.

————————

Overall, the creature was fairly well behaved for a corrupted Gem. She was just (as Steven put it) "happy and enthusiastic!"

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Now that the snow had melted though, it was finally, FINALLY time for Acapella and her family to go back to their OWN house.

The entire day, Pearl had been dropping (not so subtle) hints about the family returning to their own abode.

"WOW! Would you look at THAT?! The snow has FINALLY melted!"

"I bet the snow in the FOREST has melted now too!"

"The news said that all the power in OCEAN TOWN has been restored! Perhaps you guys should CHECK ON THE HOUSE?!"

Accapella groaned in annoyance! "ALL RIGHT PEARL! WE GET IT! WE'LL LEAVE!"

"WHAAAA-?! NO! That's not what I was implying AT ALL! (...unless...you know...you WANT to...)" Pearl mumbled the last part.

Acapella rolled her eyes. "I can take a hint Pearl. Any advice on how to deal with our...erm...new guest?"

"Don't bare any weapons in front of her...it tends to spook them."

"Gee...thanks."

Acapella and her family piled onto the Warp Pad. Toaster waved pleasantly, and shouted: "BYE! BYE!"- right before the Warp Stream sent them back to their own home.

Pearl sighed in relief. Now she could finally fix the massive destruction Lilly had left behind...

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Sure enough, a good majority of the snow around the home had disappeared.

As the family walked toward the house, Bananas and Toaster were both riding on Lilly like a horse.

"Toaster! Be careful up there!" the Keronian shouted up to the Ruby.

"DAWW! Don't worry Gamma! Lilly's gentile! WOOP!" Toaster nearly fell off the creature as she bumped into a low tree branch. The little Gem grabbed onto Lilly's fur and quickly steadied herself.

"Heeeee..." The Ruby blushed in embarrassment.

"GRAAAAAAA!" Lilly expressed...some sort of emotion, which made Bananas chuckle.

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Finally, the house came onto view!

The corrupted Gem panted in happiness and excitement, before barreling towards the back door- nearly jumping with glee along the way!

Acapella's eyes grew huge in fright! "TOASTER! LILLY! SLOW DOWN!"

"GRUNCH! BOOOM!"

Too late.

the beast had already made her own entrance into the house- completely destroying the back door, and a massive amount of drywall in the process!

"OH STARS!" Acapella and Gamma ran toward the destruction quickly. The duo peaked in, expecting to find the worst.

It seemed that the furry beast had missed most of the kitchen, but had quickly found the leather couch. She was using the piece of furniture as a resting spot- panting in excitement. Toaster and Bananas we're still on top of the creature, looking slightly dazed and confused.

"Are you two alright?" Gamma put his hands on his hips in disapproval.

"That...that was SCARY! That was SCARY Gamma! Toaster didn't like that!" The Ruby wailed!

The Keronian sighed. "Get down from there Toaster..." the frog beconed for the little Gem to climb down carefully-making sure to spot her in case she fell.

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It seemed that Lilly liked the white carpet covering the living room's floor. After resting on the couch for a bit, the creature proceed to roll with happiness all over the carpet- resulting in the thing being absolutely covered in white and blue hair.

Toaster walked up the stairs to check her room. Lilly attempted to follow, but soon found out that she didn't fit well with the banister in place. One of her horns ended up stuck in the stupid thing!

"HOOOOWWL!" Lilly groaned in distress as she attempted pulling her horn out from the wooden banister! Acapella walked into the room quickly- just in time to see the creature yank the entire banister from it's base! The animal wagged her tail, proud of herself for fixing her own problem!

"BORKRUFF!" Lilly looked at Acapella, most amused...before exploring more of the house- the massive staircase banister stuck to her head. As Lilly walked about, the banister began to scrape against the walls...resulting in paint being chipped, and several shelves being completely destroyed!

"YELLOW DIAMOND!" Acapella yelled in a fit of rage!

"It's Bananas." The cat approached the Yellow Pearl with little enthusiasm.

"-Well...BANANAS! You new "friend" is causing property damage! If you want her to stay in the house, you will have to teach her how to behave! Otherwise, OUT SHE GOES!" Accapella imediately grabbed the wooden banister from Lilly's horn...wondering how on Earth she was going to fix the damn thing.

The kitten saw the point, and quickly called Lilly over. The creature bounded toward the kitten in excitement- making the entire house shake violently! She stopped short of the tiny kitten's position.

"HELLO YELLOW PUFF! WHAT DO YOU NEED?!"

"Hrm...it's "Bananas" NOT "Yellow Puff"."

The massive Gem tipped her head in confusion.

Yellow Diamond put her paw on her own chest. "Bananas..." and then moved the paw to one of the creature's massive feet: "Lilly."

"LILLY? WHAT IS...LILLY?"

"YOU are Lilly! I am Bananas."

"NANA?"

"Yes! Yes! Bananas!"

"BACH-NANA-SHH!"

"Good enough. You'll get it eventually." The kitten looked around the house- now in complete disarray. Bananas pointed at where the banister used to be. "Bananas sad. Lilly broke banister."

The creature looked at the broken staircase with shame. She drooped her head upset. "DIDN'T MEAN TO...ACCEDENT."

"I know. I know. Lilly must be careful here."

"CARE-FULLS?"

"No more breaking stuff. Be gentile and aware of your surroundings!"

The creature seemed confused again.

"Like THIS!" Bananas demonstrated by crouching down, and walking in a small circle. "SEE? Now YOU try!"

Lilly proceeded to crouch down and slowly walked in a much bigger circle.

"See?! You did it! Good job!" The kitten smiled.

"LILLY DID GOOD?"

"YES!"

"LILLY DID GOOD!" The corrupted Gem bounced in excitement, making the entire house shake again! She wagged her tail happily, resulting in a coat rack falling over. "OH..." Lilly looked at the coat rack feeling embarrassed. "I DID IT AGAIN. I'M SORRY NANA..." the monster looked dissapointed in herself.

"It's ok Lilly! Just be more aware of your tail next time!"

The creature nodded, before laying on the soft carpet. She figured less things would get destroyed if she was stationary. The kitten had never taught before...but she figured she should start with names. "Do you know who that is?" Bananas beconed toward Acapella who was currently wrestling with the broken banister. The Pearl was spewing curses as Lilly tilted her head with interest.

"EERRRMMM...ANGRY?" The beast inquired.

"No...well, YES...she IS angry...but that is NOT her name. HER name is Acapella."

"ELLA!" The monster replied.

"Alright! ...and what about her?" Toaster appeared at the top of the staircase, looking quite surprised that the banister had gone missing.

Lilly knew this one! "TOAST!" The creature wagged her tail again- only slightly this time to avoid damages. Toaster had spent a lot of time with the corrupted beast over the last few days. Lilly had grown attached to the little Gem! The small Ruby usually meant that pets, snacks, and a good brushing were on the way! Toaster was also super warm...perfect for a winter day!

Bananas seemed proud! Of course Lilly would know Toaster. The little Ruby seemed to stand out when it came to any type of activity that was similar to animal care. "Good job Lilly! Only one more!"

Gamma was not in the room at the moment, but Lilly knew all too well who the kitten was talking about.

"THE STINKY ONE!" Lilly stuck out her tongue playfully.

Bananas laughed with amusement! "Well...yes...but don't say such things! It's very taboo! His name is Gamma!"

"MAH!" Lilly nodded. "NANA, ELLA, TOAST, MAH...and LILLY!" The corrupted Gem was proud of herself!

"Your so smart!" Bananas smiled.


	9. Gamama

Gamma's parents- Prolulu and Atmomo were very special Keronians.

Prolulu had (in the past), served as a medical nurse for a local hospital (on Keron...of course!).

Atmomo was an excellent craftsman when it came to furniture!

Both frogs were well retired now...still so, the Keronian's previous professions had inspired Gamma in different ways.

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The young red frog was often given wooden scraps to keep himself occupied while his father worked at home.

"What am I supposed to do with THESE?!" Gamama was dissapointed that his dad refused to let him help make the beautiful rocking chair.

"Practice your whittling!"

"I don't know HOW to whittle!"

"Here! I'll show you..." Atmomo took a brief amount of his own time, demonstrating how to sculpt art out of wood. He ended up making a flower!

"WOW! That's amazing!" Gamama's eyes sparkled with inspiration!

"Here! Now YOU try! Be careful not to cut yourself! Go slowly..."

Gamama obeyed, and began to carve. The father nodded in pride before continuing on the construction of the chair for his client.

————————

Several hours later, Gamama presented a lumpy wooden star to his dad.

"WELL! Would you look at THAT! You're a natural, son!"

Gamma beamed with pride!

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Prolulu, on the other hand, always seemed much more stressed. She would come home late from the hospital...ranting and bickering about her rough day. She was a tough cookie, but would always defend any sick patient in need. She was definitely a DOER, not a DREAMER. Prolulu got stuff DONE- and did it well.

Gamama always tried to stay up when his mom came home late! Sometimes he would greet her- most of the time he ended up falling asleep. Prolulu would roll her eyes, and either playfully scold him for staying up so late, or lug the sleeping tadpole into bed. Afterward she would make and freeze the next night's dinner. Prolulu would always eat hers fresh, and create leftover meals for her husband and son to heat up later.

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While his father was always home, Gamama's favorite part of the week were the weekends! It was the only time both his mom and dad were at home and awake!

These were the days Gamama loved the most! They would go to the park, or a movie, or a festival, or a playground, or a fair! When he was smaller, he would grab both parent's hands at the same time, and they would swing him back and forth!

When he got too heavy to do this anymore, Gamama's new "big boy" chore was helping carrying anything his parents needed assistance with. The little Keronian was very greatful! He had the best family ever!

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...and then the day came for little Gamama to go to school! His mom straightened his new school uniform.

"My handsome little Keronian!" Prolulu chirped.

"AGH! MOM! Do I HAVE to wear this?! It makes me look like a sailor!"

"-A HANDSOME sailor!"

"Aww...mom..."

Atmomo piped up: "Now son...there's a dress code! Everyone has to wear these! Listen to your mother..." the father nodded in agreement.

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When Gamama got to school, the bell hadn't rung yet. There were lots of other tadpoles playing in the front courtyard! Gamama wiggled with excitement as his car stopped in front of the school.

"Bye mom! I love you!" As soon as the car stopped, the frog hopped out with glee!

"Have a good day sweetheart! I'll pick you up in a few hours!" Prolulu smiled with pride, before driving away.

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There were...just...SO MANY other kids in the courtyard! Gamama couldn't wait to make new friends!

There was a small crowd of tadpoles about his age sitting on the stairs. Gamama decided to jump into this situation with confidence! "Hi there! My name is Gamama! What's yours?"

The group looked up at the new frog in surprise, before snickering under their breath. They whispered something.

Gamama tilted his head in curiosity. "What's so funny?"

"Your "mama" just dropped you off...we saw the whole thing! So...Gamama...do you LOVE your mama?!"

"Oh yes! She is the best mama ever! She helps save people's lives!"

The crowd snickered again. "Is THAT why your name is Gamama? Are you a "mama's boy"?"

"Mama's boy?" The little frog tilted his head again. He was not sure what was going on, but he certainly didn't like the tone everyone was using.

"YEAH! Gamama is a Mama's Boy!"

"Mama's Boy!"

"Mama's Boy! Mama's Boy!" The crowd began to chant and laugh in the most insulting of manners. The red frog blushed with embarrassment.

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The rest of the day didn't go much better. The children laughed at his name, the staff laughed at his name- heck, even some of the TEACHERS laughed at his name!

"What a dumb name for a Keronian child!"

"He will be teased for the rest of his life."

"What HORRIFIC parents would name their son that?!"

"He even LOOKS like an idiot! That name isn't helping either..."

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By the end of the day, Gamama was in tears...which certainly didn't help the situation.

"Awww! Look! The baby's crying! Mama's Boy needs a bottle!" The children laughed cruelly, as the Keronian saw his mom's car drive up. He instantly entered the vehicle to escape the horrific torture.

"How was your day honey?" Prolulu asked before noticing her son's tears. "Gamama! What's wrong?"

"Nothin'." Her son mumbled to himself.

This day was the beginning of a new nightmare. Every second of every school day would rinse and repeat.

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By the time the frog was old enough to join the army, he would be simply known as: "Gamma". Not the name his family had so lovingly chosen for him- but a name...none-or-less.


	10. The Tales of Ruby Squad XTS1

Toaster (formally known as Ruby OL-56), was on a mission with her platoon!

The group of five were sitting in a circle on the soft sand. Why the Diamonds wanted them to scope out THIS planet was anyone's guess.

Ruby squad XTS1 had been wandering around the planet for miles throughout the past few weeks. It seemed that the entire thing was nothing but desert and sand. Wonderful for making glass...they supposed- but pretty useless for anything else.

Nighttime had fallen. It got incredibly dark and cold after the two suns left the sky.

Resulting in the situation the squad was currently experiencing- sitting closely in a circle so that no one could get lost. Only a few of the Rubies had flashlights in their gemstones...

...Yes. The time was right.

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On the brink of boredom, not requiring food or sleep- the Rubies began to tell each other stories, fairytales, rumors, and anecdotes!

OP-60 started first. "I have heard legends of the creatures that live on Earth!"

"Isn't that the planet Pink Diamond was shattered on?"

OP-60 thought to herself before nodding. "YES! I believe it IS! Anyway..." The Ruby put on a scary face. "I have heard, that the major life forms that live there- the Humans, are sick, deranged... INSANE!"

"-BAH! A bunch of hoowey!" OM-58 interrupted the story. "I've seen Humans in one of our zoos! They are so easily spooked, all of them run away if you bang on the glass!"

"No! No! Those are DOMESTICATED Humans! These are wild ones...they still live on the planet!" OP-60 nodded in conformation. "I talked to another Ruby that visited there once, and SHE said that the Humans on Earth are MONSTERS. Do you know what they do?!"

The entire group shook their heads in fright.

"-Well! Apparently, they think our gemstones are VERY pretty! So pretty, in fact...they shatter them- file them, grind them, cut them up...and than wear the shards around their necks!"

Several gasps were heard! Toaster yelped in fear!

OP-60 continued: "...and that's not all! They put gemstones on rings, an' stick them on eachother's fingers!"

"Wouldn't...the limbs reform?!" Toaster was quite frightened.

"Not often. The Humans put special metal around the shards so that they CAN'T reform! It's just a piece of you...stuck on some Human's hand...in pain...FOREVERS!" The Ruby lifted her arms in the air for dramatic effect!

"WAAAGH!" Toaster covered her face, shaking with fear.

"OP-60! You scared OL-56!" Ruby OM-58 attempted to comfort her friend as Toaster began to cry!

The storyteller looked somewhat sheepish. "Awww! Come on OL-56! It's jus a story!" The Ruby rubbed the back of her head feeling guilty.

"That...that was scary! I didn't like that one! I want a NICE story!" Toaster wailed.

"OK! OK! I've got one!" OM-58 nodded. "I have heard, that there is a magical organic being called a unicorn!"

"A...a...unicorn? What's that?" Toaster inquired between hiccups.

OM-58 shrugged. "I'm not sure myself. Gem's say it's the most beautiful thing in the cosmos! Even more beautiful than a Diamond!"

"Pffft!" OP-60 waved her hand sarcastically. "NOTHING is more beautiful than a Diamond!"

The storyteller looked annoyed. "Would you let me finish?!"

"Yeah...yeah..."

"...well...not only is a unicorn the most BEAUTIFUL creature in the cosmos, but they are SUPER friendly and peaceful!" The Ruby nodded. "It is said, that they have a horn in the middle of their forehead that shines like an Opal!"

"WOW!" Toaster's eyes lit up with excitement! "Kinda like my gemstone!"

OM-58 nodded. "I've heard, that the unicorn gallops through space, and delivers sweets and rainbows to every planet in the galaxy! Sometimes, it even gives you presents!"

"OHMYGOSH! That sounds like the most amazin' thing EVERS!" Toaster's eyes turned to stars.

OP-60 scoffed. "BAH! Sounds too good to be true! Jus a story..."

Toaster pouted at OP-60. "Well, I believe it! It sounds neat!"

Ruby OM-58 smiled. As the group continued to banter, no one noticed the dim rainbow that suddenly appeared in the night sky...


	11. Bananas’ First Mission

It was two days after Lilly was introduced to her new home, when the phone rang. At this point, Acapella had thrown a tarp over the massive hole in the wall, leading into the backyard. The stair banister was struggling to hold using a mix of glue and pieces of string found around the house.

Accapella answered the phone- exausted and irked. "Hi. WhatDoYaWant?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, before the amused Garnet answered: "Do you treat ALL your restaurant customers like that on the phone?"

The Yellow Pearl grumbled:"The restaurant is closed because of that...THING being in the house. Why are you calling Garnet?"

"Going on a mission. Need Bananas. May I speak with her?"

Annoyed, Acapella yelled: "Hey CAT! It's for you!" The Pearl left the phone dangling from the receiver. Bananas approached the dangling phone with curiosity.

"H-Hello?" The Diamond was unsure how the primitive device worked.

"Hello Bananas. This is Garnet. We need you for a mission...can you come over?"

Bananas suddenly looked very proud of herself! She puffed up her chest in pride! "I'll be right over!"

The kitten turned to the sleeping Lilly. "Lilly! I need you to take me to the warp! It's important!" The massive creature yawned and smacked her lips with fatigue as she awoke from her nap. She jaunted over to the kitten happily! "OK! I GIVE NANAS RIDE!"

"Good! Good! Right!" The Diamond climbed onto the creature, and held on tight as Lilly barreled through the tarp- ripping up another major chunk of the house.

Accapella groaned.

"Acapella? Acapella?!" The receiver attempted to get the Pearl's attention after hearing the massive din.

The Pearl answered with annoyance: "WHAT?! WHAT IS IT NOW?!"

"You're going to have to go after them. Warp Pads don't work for corrupted Gems OR organic life...also-" The fusion suddenly whispered in an annoyed stern mumble: "(-don't let Lilly in our house again. We JUST finished fixing it...)"

"OH! I SEE! Letting US keep the giant monster in OUR house is FINE...but as soon as Bananas needs to go to YOUR place-"

There was a sudden: "click" followed by a dial tone. Accapella gasped in bewilderment! "She HUNG UP on me!"

In a furious huff, the Yellow Pearl stormed out of the house. No doubt the two idiots were probably attempting to make the Warp Pad work by jumping on it...or...some shale like that...

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The Warp Pad in Steven's house activated- bringing with it not only Acapella and Bananas, but (just for spite) an incredibly hyperactive Lilly as well!

The Renegade Pearl screeched upon the trio's arrival! She quickly spread her arms out as fast as she could...attempting to stop the monster from scuffing up her wooden floor again.

Garnet approached, and stared at Accapella- looking incredibly unamused. She folded her arms, and groaned in annoyance."I thought I told you not to bring Lilly..."

"That was BEFORE you so RUDELY hung up on me!" Acapella huffed.

Garnet stood next to the corrupted Gem, and beconed the kitten to climb down, so that she could catch her.

Bananas abliged.

"Go home you two- rest up a bit" The fusion nodded at Lilly and Acapella. The Yellow Pearl rolled her eyes in annoyance, before disappearing (with Lilly) on the Warp Pad once more.

At this point, the kitten looked at the Warp Pad, more than a little bit concerned. "Erm... I thought Lilly was going to be my muscle? I really have no way of defending myself in the face of danger..."

Garnet nodded. "That's why you have us!"

"How will I even keep up with you guys? These tiny kitten legs are not exactly the best for hiking or running..."

"You'll be riding in Steven's cheeseburger backpack."

"Uhhhh...his what?

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Several minutes later, the team was ready to go! Steven put on his food-shaped backpack. He had left the zipper open juuust wide enough to have Bananas poke her head out of the side for air and curiosity.

"I feel...really stupid." Bananas' head complained as she attempted to look around the room.

"You'll be safe in there!" Steven nodded. "It's waterproof, and SUPER soft!"

"Hmmmm...if you say so..." the tiny cat still seemed unsure. "I think I might be sitting on something squishy..."

"That would be the sandwiches." Steven nodded.

"Ugh..." Pearl stuck out her tongue. "I am SO glad I don't like to eat."

"Cat butt sandwiches." Garnet nodded.

Steven stuck out his tongue. "They're in baggies Garnet!"

Bananas blushed. "I'm not even going to ask what else in in here...can we just...get this over with already?"

"Sure thing sandwich-butt!" Amethyst playfully climbed onto the Warp Pad- her family followed as the stream of light guided them to their destination.

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As the Warp Stream disappeared, the group ended up in a thick jungle- a rainforest! Bananas looked around with interest. "Why does this part of the planet require so much organic flora? There's no room! Everything is just growing on top of each other..."

"This is a rainforest!" Pearl explained. "It's a part of the planet that requires lots of plants and animals in order to thrive." The renegade nodded.

"How are we even going to move around this place?!" The kitten inquired.

"Willpower." Garnet nodded, before the main trio simply began to force their way through- swords, gauntlets, and spin dashes wizzing in every direction! A path slowly began to form through the thick underbrush.

As the party walked along, the kitten's hair suddenly stood up. She was hearing eerie whispers and murmers from the hidden plant life...

"Meat and flesh..."

"So weak...the two smallest ones would be the easiest to catch."

"The yellow one...she's so little and helpless."

"The fat human cub looks delectable!"

Bananas piped up to the Crystal Gems quickly in a hurried panic: "Hey you clods? I don't know WHAT kind of animals are hidden behind this wall of flora, but almost every living beast here is talking about how easy it would be to attack me and the Steven..."

There was an immediate change of power at this comment. Steven formed a defensive bubble around himself, and the Gems created a safe triangle by walking on all sides of the pink sphere.

There were dissapointed grunts and groans from the wildlife as the strange herd of Gems changed their stance. To Bananas' relief, the intimidating mumbles disappeared as the jungle now found the pray too risky to catch.

The cat sighed. "They're gone."

Steven dropped his bubble as the party marched forward.

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Eventually, the flora began to transform. The temperature dipped significantly. Bananas noted ice incasing the leaves and flowers.

The kitten shivered.

"We're close." Garnet nodded in conformation.

They walked a bit more before coming to an odd clearing. The party stopped and crouched down so that they would not be seen.

In the clearing stood an odd creature in blue- a mane so thick, it's eyes were covered. It had wings like a bat, and a long tail. The odd monster was significantly smaller than Lilly, but still about the same size as the lion. It shuffled about the area-using it's breath to freeze the plants solid, and breaking them before stomping the flora flat. The creature had made a successful circle in the trees using this technique- and soon settled onto it's belly.

"(Ok. It looks calm. Bananas...)" as Garnet whispered, she slowly unzipped Steven's backpack, and unloaded the kitten. "(-your time to shine.)" The massive Gem put the kitten on the cold ground.

"(You...you just want me to walk up to it?! What the frack am I supposed to say?!"

"(Language!)" Pearl scolded the animal.

Garnet shrugged. "(Compliment her. Try to figure out what her name is. Remember: we'll be right here if you need us.)"

The fusion gently pushed the kitten into the open, before giving her a thumbs up.

Bananas mumbled: "(I'm going to regret this...)", before attempting to walk toward the corrupted Gem.

...

It was several seconds later before the kitten realized she hadn't moved an inch. Apparently, the sheet of ice around the creature was acting like a frozen lake. Bananas couldn't get any traction!

The cat quickly bared her tiny retractable claws, and began to slowly gain speed!

...unfortunately, the feline had NO CLUE how to stop! Bananas sliped and slid upon the ice- moving in the most awkward way. She quickly found herself spinning out of control, before bumping into the side of the beast! "OOMPH!"

At the odd noise, the creature turned with curiosity. It seemed something very small had entered her territory. The corrupted Gem made a sort of "Vooooo..." sound before standing up, and approaching the strange kitten with intrigue. At this point, Bananas had fallen over in an awkward position. She was now (very much) stuck on the icy surface.

No turning back now.

To the cat's surprise, the animal began to speak! It was obvious that this creature was a bit more..."intelligent" than Lilly.

"What are you doing in my territory little one?"

Bananas had to think quickly: "I was wandering through the forest, and seem to have lost my way..."

"OH!" the animal nodded in sympathy, before asking a simple question: "What is your name little one?"

"Bananas."

"Oh! Like the fruit!

"Yes...yes...like the fruit." There was a slight pause before the kitten asked an obvious question: "Sooo...what's your name?"

The creature suddenly looked very puzzled. She sat, deep in thought. What was her name? Her REAL name? What kind of an animal was she? She couldn't remember. "I-I am not sure. I must apologize Bananas. I cannot remember." The monster seemed rather sad and ashamed of herself.

"That's ok. I forget stuff sometimes too." The kitten nodded in agreement.

"The local Humans call me "Dragão de Gelo"...does that help?"

"Not really...but I thank you for your honesty." Bananas was not quite sure what to ask next. "Erm...I hope I'm not being too forward, but I actually got lost in this forest with a group of friends. They are hiding in the plants...a bit afraid I believe. They...are not like me."

"Oh?"

"They are Gems. They look like Humans, but have gemstones on them!"

"Gems...gemstones...Gems?" The monster suddenly looked at her arm, and shuffled away a massive amount of fur- revealing a gemstone. It was blue with dark blue spots. "So...familiar..."

"Would you mind if I invited them out here? They will not harm you."

The creature nodded immediately. "Yes. Definitely. I want to remember more!"

Bananas awkwardly attempted to shuffle across the ice, back to the Gem's hiding spot. In a surprising amount of excitement, the corrupted Gem nudged the kitten with her nose. The resulting push made the feline zoom back into the plants! She ended up falling over herself with another: "OOMPH!"

"Well?! What happened?" Amethyst asked excitedly as Bananas spit out dirt and leaves.

"Stars! She must be terribly eager to push me like that!" The kitten seemed incredibly annoyed.

"Well?"

"She seems to want to meet you all. She doesn't remember her name. I told her you would not attack...so you are going to have to put your weapons away. I think she is hoping that seeing all of you will jog her memory a bit." Bananas nodded.

The Crystal Gems obeyed. They put away their weapons, and slowly appeared from the plant life. Steven decided to carry the kitten so that she wouldn't struggle against the ice again.

The creature sat patiently as the party approached. She squinted...desperately, hoping that her memories would come back to her.

Pearl was the first one to speak: "Erm...hello there! We're here to help! Would you mind if we took a look at your gemstone?"

The creature hesitated for a minute, before shifting the fur on her arm again-revealing the shiny rock.

"HA!" Garnet let out a single laugh that was so loud, and unexpected, it made everyone jump (even the corrupted Gem). The fusion continued: "I would know that gemstone anywhere! I get to look at it everyday! You're a Sapphire!" Garnet smiled.

That...that was it! THAT WAS IT! SHE REMEMBERED! SHE WAS A SAPPHIRE! "VOOOOO!" The creature gave a excited groan to the heavens!

Steven briefly put Bananas down and dug through his cheeseburger backpack. He retrieved the (slightly smooshed) sandwiches, and fed them to the creature as a gesture of good will. The Sapphire ate them with enthusiasm, before licking the boy in gratitude!

"Awwww! You're welcome!" Steven smiled.

Garnet nodded in agreement. The remainder of the time was spent explaining and translating to the Sapphire that she should try harder to keep her ice under control. The plants and animals were very delicate here. The corrupted Gem was more than happy to oblige, and apologized for any damages she may have caused.

Overall, the mission was a great success! Not a single punch was thrown, and many things got accomplished!

Bananas smiled. It felt...surprisingly nice to help someone that wasn't herself.


	12. Acapella Goes Shopping

There was no other choice.

The restaurant was closed until further notice.

Of COURSE it was closed! How could it NOT be?! The entire living room space was being taken over by this...MASSIVE CORRUPTED MONSTER!

Acapella looked toward Lilly...asleep on the floor's carpet. She was snoring...quite loudly. Her breath still stunk horribly.

Yes, yes. If any Human spotted this... GARGANTUAN CREATURE, they would probably pass out in shock! No surprise...even Acapella herself had almost passed out when she first saw Lilly, and she wasn't even an Earthling!

The Pearl huffed in annoyance. She needed some "me-time". The Gem felt like she was not being terribly productive, and if there was ONE thing that Acapella hated the most: it was wasting time.

The Pearl collected some change for the Human bus, and decided to window shop. Perhaps the activity would get her mind off of things...

————————

Once she got to the market place, Acapella began to wander. She really didn't need to buy any more groceries...and thusly, decided to explore the other venues instead.

The Pearl cautiously approached the animal store Toaster always wanted to go into. There was no way on Homeworld she was going to enter the retchid place. While the Gem would never admit it, she had been incredibly fearful of Earth's fauna ever since the incident with the massive St Bernard at the MIB. An embarrassment...for sure...

...still...

...Today, the pet store had the most interesting animal in the window. It was a bird- a bit bigger than a parakeet. Completely yellow, the creature stood with pride on its perch as the Gem glanced at it. The bird had orange plume on its cheeks, and a familiar pointed hairstyle...

Acapella felt her own haircut in admiration.

The Pearl seemed rather amused, as the bird spread it's wings and began to bobble its head in a seemingly smug dance. The creature was very entertaining! For a second, Acapella had a passing thought...a thought she never knew she could have...

...no!

...absolutely not!

...organic life, even exceptionally beautiful Yellow Pearl-looking organic life, was STILL disgusting!

The Pearl shook the thought out of her mind! A cook with a PET! Toaster would never let her hear the end of it!

What a silly thought! The Pearl gave off a: "HERPH!", before briskly walking away.

————————

Appearance-enhancing clothes were in the next window. Another useless commodity for a Gem. Acapella walked past this store without a second glance.

...and than...and than...a treasure trove! A MASSIVE book store! Acapella entered this one with interest!

————————

"Welcome to "Bunches of Books"!" A kindly employee greeted Acapella, before returning to reorganizing some of the messed up books on the shelves.

Acapella's eyes twinkled! So much undisturbed knowledge!

In ignorant bliss, Acapella picked up the first Human book she saw!

...

...A crossword puzzle.

Completely confused, Acapella returned the book to its home, and went searching for something with a bit more substance...

————————

The Gem soon found out that "Fiction" basically meant "Fake", and "Non-Fiction" meant "useful stuff".

Acapella found an encyclopedia on birds, and soon discovered that the mysterious creature in the pet store window was called a "Cockatiel". Apparently, they had a more rambunctious attitude than parakeets. The creature had a much louder call and was more prone to biting, but could still make an excellent, loving pet if given proper patience and care. Acapella's heart melted like butter at this news- a creature with her same haircut, attitude, AND empathy! The Pearl smiled, and nodded in agreement! If she was a bird, she would probably make a fuss, and bite Humans too...

Now that Acapella knew more about the bird, her searching led her to the cooking section. The Yellow Pearl stood, mouth agape. There were about 12 shelves with absolutely NOTHING but cook books!

The selection was overwhelming. Acapella figured she should start with the first book on the first shelf. The Gem flipped through the recipes. Not knowing any better, she took pictures of interesting and difficult recipes using her internal memory space.

————————

Four hours passed quickly.

Acapella finally flipped through the last cook book. The Gem seemed incredibly proud of herself, before entering the "pet" section of the store. Here, she managed to find an entire book on cockatiel care.

The employee had been watching her only customer with intrigue for the past several hours. She decided to pipe up: "Mam, is there anything I can help you find?"

"Not at the moment...thanks for asking though! Could-could I buy this one?" The Yellow Pearl held up the novel with the cockatiel on the cover.

"Certainly!" The woman went behind the counter, and charged the Gem for her new book.

"Have a nice day!" The woman smiled!

————————

Upon exiting the store, Acapella turned her head left and right as if afraid of being followed. After swallowing her fear, (and chickening out several times), the Pearl finally got the courage to enter the animal store.

————————

Later that night, it was obvious what had happened.

It seemed that the cockatiel, and its cage had been sold to someone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! The Toonfreak here! I just wanted to give a quick shout to all the readers that take time out of their busy schedule to (not only) read this silly story, but also put comments, critiques, and notes in the review section! Every time I see that someone has left a note on my stories, it encourages me to keep writing! It's wonderful to know that people enjoy my stories enough to talk about them!
> 
> This has been especially important within the last week. Between my real-life chronic healthcare problems and my extreme fatigue, I have been feeling just...depressed and (to be completely frank) sorta useless.
> 
> I hide a LOT of the personal stuff that I'm going through online (for good reason...it's sad as $&%# to talk about...)
> 
> DO know this though: you guys reading, reviewing, and laughing at my stories always makes me smile on a gloomy day!
> 
> Thanks again!


	13. The Cockatiel

Acapella opened the front door of the house as quietly as possible. She was carrying a massive amount of full plastic bags in one hand, and a mysterious giant sphere covered with a tablecloth in the other.

The Pearl looked around with panic and guilt, just to make sure Gamma and Toaster were nowhere in sight. Lilly was still asleep on the floor.

Acapella tip-toed around the courrupted monster, and slowly climbed up the stairs, before quickly running into her room. She slammed the door and locked it quickly.

Acapella's room was...underwhelming (for lack of a better term). It was at the very end of the hall on the second floor. NO ONE other than Acapella (of course) under ANY circumstances was allowed inside.

Why?

This room was HER room. She had set ground rules when first arriving at the house. The Pearl never had a private space to call her own on Homeworld, and was incredibly protective of it.

So what precious treasures did the room hold?

4 cook books stacked on the floor.

The white carpet...

...and the white wall.

There was no furniture, no bed, no posters. It was almost as if the room had never been lived in at all! It was spotless.

Most of her important tools were in the kitchen, and (on the rare occasion) she needed sleep, the Pearl simply used the couch on the first floor. It was somewhat sad how plain and empty the space was...

...until today.

Acapella took the tablecloth off the sphere. It was a yellow bubble- one of her own. On the inside sat the cockatiel in the cage. The bird seemed quite excited about its new home, and was chirping loudly while bobbing its head in agreement!

"Shhh! Shhhh! Hush now!" Acapella attempted to get the organic animal to calm itself. The bubble was doing an excellent job of muffling the noise- but the creature was SO loud, some of the audio evidence was still pressing through.

Acapella wanted to keep her new friend a secret. If Toaster caught wind of a new Earth animal living in the home...well...Acapella would be labeled as a hippicrite. It would also give the Ruby excuses to bring more fauna into the house.

Acapella placed the bubbled bird cage on the floor, and scooted it against the middle of the far wall.

The Pearl took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, attempting to calm herself. "Alright. Let's see...what to do first..." Acapella unloaded all the nessesary tools for the bird's care from the bags, and began to read her new book. It was quite fortunate that the lady at the pet store knew exactly what was needed in order to take care of the creature.

Yellow Pearl began to read: "OK..."it is recommended that cockatiels eat small pellets made from seeds..."

Acapella looked at the bag of green pellets with the bird silhouette on the front before nodding. "-however, it is wise to give the bird a variety of food. Fruits and vegetables are a good choice, as well as certain kinds of meat in moderation. Avoid avocados."

The Pearl suddenly found herself craving a fruit salad, but ignored her urges. This matter took priority.

"Be aware - powder forms on the feathers that can fall off while grooming. It is wise to play with your bird and give it exorcise every day. Cockatiels are known for their ability to mimic. While they can copy Human speech, they are much more skilled at whistling!"

This fact surprised the Pearl! She internally wondered to herself if the bird could perfectly mimic her sleeping tones...

...

...probably not. The animal would (more than likely) just fall asleep like everyone else. This was a living, breathing, animal...NOT a CD player...

"Give the bird fresh water and food everyday. Use a non-toxic paper product to line the bottom of the cage for easy cleaning." Acapella stuck out her tongue. Cleaning the cage was NOT something she was looking forward to doing. Still, she had (ocationally) seen Toaster take care of Chirp...certainly this would not be terribly different?

"ALRIGHT!" Acapella attempted to look confident! "Seems easy enough! Just think of the creature as a small Yellow Pearl! YEAH!"

Acapella fixed the bird a tray of pellets and water- prepping to put both in the cage.

She cautiously popped the bubble...

"WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH!..."

Acapella's eyes got small in annoyance. The bird's cry was certainly...DIFFERENT from Chirp's...

"Wha...why do you keep saying the same thing over and over?! Stars!"

"WE-AH!"

"What are you trying to tell me?!"

"WE-AH!"

"...I gave you food and water...the cage came with a little mirror...which the lady at the pet store said you would like..."

"WE-AH!"

The bird tilted its head toward Acapella in intrigue! "WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH!"

"Do...do you want to come out of the cage?"

"WE-AH!"

"Erm...well...okay then...here it goes..." Acapella squinted in fear as she put her pointer finger in the cage. The bird suddenly froze in fright! It was obvious that this was a new activity for both of them...

"HONK!" The cockatiel bit Acapella's finger, and quickly bolted to the other side of the cage!

"OW! YOU STUPID...INSIGNIFICANT...CLODDY..."

"WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH!" The bird bobbed its head up and down and cackled in amusement!

"IT'S NOT FUNNY! THAT HURT!"

"WE-AH!"

"OH...HUSH YOU!"

"WE-AH!"

Acapella thought to herself. The animal obviously wanted...something...but WHAT?! The Pearl decided to try a different tactic!

In a magnificent bright light, Acapella transformed herself into a cockatiel. She looked nearly identical...other than the obvious gemstone and yellow cheeks of course.

At first, the pet seemed fascinated! However, as the new bird wattled toward the cage, the cockatiel began to puff up in an angry defense!

"WAAAAK! WAAAAKKK! WE-AH!" The bird spred its wings, and fluffed its feathers in order to look intimidating and big.

Acapella backed up slowly in fear, before another bright light engulfed her. She changed back into her normal self.

The bird looked for its rival in confusion! It sighed in a huff, before all the feathers went back to their normal state. "We-ah..." The bird closed its eyes in content. The creature seemed proud of themself. They had scared the other bad bird away!

"Hmmmmm...perhaps bribery is the way to go?" Acapella had an idea...

————————

The Pearl used two bread ties in order to keep the bird cage door open without using her hands.

The Gem than retreated to the kitchen, and managed to find a seedless grape. She washed the fruit, and walked back upstairs, before placing it in the middle of the floor.

...and then, she waited.

————————

It took a good twenty minutes for the bird to realize that the cage door was open. The cockatiel looked left and right, cautiously, before exiting the carrier, and wattling about the floor. The animal found the green grape easily. It stood out like a sore thumb on the white carpet.

The bird pecked at the grape, before breaking the skin. The animal seemed to have a massive amount of joy while eating the sweet pulp on the inside! "WAH!" The creature seemed satisfied with the treat!

Yes...good...the plan was working...

Acapella lowered her hand-another grape treat in tow. The cockatiel approached the Gem, nervously...before pecking at the fruit, climbing on the Pearl's hand, and eating the pulp again.

"T-there! S-see nice bird-birdy!" The Gem was obviously still nervous.

The bird looked up at Acapella with admiration! "WE-AH!" The cockatiel proceeded to rub and itch its head on one of Acapella's fingers!

The Pearl sighed in relief. If nothing else, the bird seemed to trust her more now.

Acapella figured that this friendship would take some time and patience to evolve....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys Toonfreak here again! I always thought a Yellow Cockatiel would make the perfect pet for Acapella. I have never owned a cockatiel before, and decided to do some research by watching cockatiel videos on YouTube!
> 
> ....
> 
> After watching said videos, I quickly found out that cockatiels are...like...the most ANNOYING PET EVER!! LOL!
> 
> They like to repeat themselves with the same bird call...over...and Over...and OVER again! When not making constant noise, they enjoy pecking their beaks on any surface...just to be annoying-mirrors, cans, even computer keys!!
> 
> Yup....Acapella is going to have her hands quite full with her new pet...
> 
> XD


	14. WE-AH!

"WE-AH! WE-AH!"

Two days had gone by, and still the cockatiel's chirp was the same.

"WE-AH! WE-AH!"

"OH HUSH, YOU STUPID THING!" Acapella was partially kidding, and partially serious. Throughout the past two days, the bird had become much more affectionate toward the yellow Gem. The cockatiel was currently rubbing its head against Acapella's finger again.

At this point, Acapella had learned several things about her new pet. The bird liked apple slices the most as a treat- specifically, Golden Delicious!

After reading more of her book, Yellow Pearl also found out that the creature was a boy.

The bird enjoyed his head getting scratched...and also liked the Pearl's company! Every time she left the room, his: "we-ah..." would sound more depressed.

...and every time she re-entered the room, the bird would go absolutely nuts with joy!

"What a strange Earth creature you are..." Acapella pet the tuft on top of the animal's head. "I do wish I knew what you were trying to say..."WE-AH" doesn't make a lick of sense to me..."

"WE-AH!"

"...yes exactly."

Dispite the bird's call being incredibly annoying to most, Acapella found that talking to the creature helped her relax. It was nice...having someone to talk to who wouldn't judge or talk back...

————————

At first, the house seemed to have finally settled into itself. Gamma, Toaster, and Bananas all noted that they were being yelled at a LOT less.

Lilly began to chew on the couch with little to no consequence.

Things were really quiet...almost...TOO quiet.

By the second day, both Gamma and Toaster were becoming incredibly concerned. They had eaten nothing but popcorn. Fruit from the pantry was constantly disappearing. The family knew Acapella had been in her room for the longest time. The Keronian feared that the Pearl may be depressed because she missed her restaurant. He decided to consult Bananas.

"Acapella used to be YOUR Pearl...correct?"

"Well...yes...technically..."

"Did she ever display avoidance behavior like this?"

The kitten thought hard to herself. "None that I can remember. If anything, she was an overachiever...and quite a chatterbox for a Pearl..."

"Do you think she's ok?"

"Stars! I don't know! Perhaps we should bother her...just this once. I am getting rather tired of eating this..."popped corn"...Acapella's meals are much better..."

————————

Thustly, Toaster was asked to be the one to knock on Yellow Pearl's door. The family figured she had the most likeable demeanor of the bunch. The Ruby could probably sweet-talk her way into Area 51 if she wanted to...

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

"Acapella? It's me! Toaster! We haven't seen you in a while...are you okay?"

There were imediate noises of rustling and shuffling from the inside of the room...almost as if the Pearl was attempting to hide something quickly.

"JUST A MINUTE!...Yes! I am quite fine Toaster! Do you need something?"

Acapella finally opened her door (just a crack), and looked down at the small Ruby.

"What are you doing in there Acapella?"

"None of your business!" The Pearl snapped!

"We miss you...you've been spending a lot of time in your room...why don't you come out? We're about to watch a new movie!"

Acapella thought about this... "Nah. You guys go ahead. I'll just watch it later!"

...and with that, the door slammed shut again.

Baffled by this, Toaster simply turned to Gamma (who was standing in the hall) with confusion. She shrugged at the frog...out of ideas.

————————

The next morning, Bananas could take the silence no longer. The kitten climbed up the stairs, and jaunted a B-Line to Acapella's bedroom door.

It was closed.

Curious and nosey, The kitten put her head against the door. She could hear two voices...neither one was very clear though.

She may have been a kitten NOW, but Yellow Diamond had been around long enough to know when a Pearl was keeping a secret. The kitten scratched at Acapella's door with her paws.

"Open up Pearl! I know you're hiding something! Might as well come clean about it now! What do you have in there?! Weapons? Illegal intergalactic passports?"

The door suddenly opened a crack again. Acapella looked down at the previous Diamond...incredibly annoyed.

"If I show you what I have...do you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Yes, yes. Sure. Whatever." Banana's answer was not terribly convincing...but Acapella desperately needed someone to help her translate what her new friend was trying to say. The Pearl still wanted to know what the "WE-AH" call meant.

Acapella let the kitten in with a bit of hesitance.

At first, Bananas was...quite shocked. NOT because of any pet mind you (Acapella had put the tablecloth over the cage once more), but more so, because the room was just...so...PLAIN.

"OH! Erm... what a lovely room? So...clean?" Bananas looked at the sad stack of cookbooks on the floor. She figured the item in question was the thing with the white tablecloth over it. The white wall and white carpet matched it splendidly. The cat felt slightly badly for her previous Pearl. She had never seen such a sad, dull, boring chamber in her life. Even her own previous throne room at LEAST had a chair and some yellow tile in it...

"Acapella...have you...ever thought about getting a bookshelf for your books? Or...I don't know...a motivational poster...or...something?"

"No." the Pearl was blunt. "Do you want to see what's under the tablecloth or NOT?"

"OH! Yes! Right! Sorry..." The kitten sat down and waited patiently.

Acapella grabbed the tablecloth. "I give you..." she lifted the thing dramatically, revealing the cage in a yellow bubble "-NYMPHICUS HOLLANDICUS!"

The kitten got incredibly excited for a brief second, before realizing that the big secret was simply a new pet bird. Bananas looked at the Pearl sarcastically. "THAT'S IT? THAT'S the thing you've been wasting all your time on? A pet?"

Acapella blushed horribly. "He's not JUST a pet...look!" The Pearl proceeded to pop her own bubble, before taking the thing out of its cage.

The bird immediately began to chirp with excitement!

"WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH!..."

"AAAAAGHHHH! What IS that?! THAT has to be the most annoying Earth organic I've EVER seen!" The cat held her ears over the horrific din.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Pearl ignored the kitten's unpleasant quip. "It's the most beautiful example of Earth fauna I've ever come across!"

"Wait..." Bananas looked at the bird...then at Acapella...then back at the bird. An odd smirk came over the kitten's face. "It looks JUST like YOU!"

"WHA?! NO IT DOESN'T!" The Pearl blushed again.

"STARS! You bought that thing out of PITY...didn't you?!"

"I don't know WHAT you're talking about!" Acapella stuck her nose up at the comment.

"Yeah...you saw a bird that looked like you in a cage, and wanted to give it a good home!" Bananas nodded. "I get it. You felt badly for it! ...Is that why the fruit has been dissapearing? Have you been spoiling that...THING?"

"He likes apples." The Pearl nodded a bit sheepishly. She supposed, perhaps...she was feeding the bird lots of fruity treats because she, herself, never got to try such things when she was a slave on Homeworld. Perhaps...perhaps she WAS spoiling it a little... "I've...I've been trying to figure out what he's been saying for days. I wish I knew what he wanted..."

"HE doesn't WANT anything!"

"Huh?"

"That...Erm...pet of yours just keeps repeating himself! He's saying: "I'm here".

"I'm here?!"

"Yes. Apparently, he wants the ENIRE WORLD to know where he is..."

"I'M HERE! I'M HERE! I'M HERE! I'M HERE! I'M HERE!" The cockatiel squawked at the top of his lungs!

Banana's looked at the creature incredibly annoyed. "I GET IT! YOU'RE HERE! NOW HUSH UP!"

The cockatiel fell silent before noticing Bananas for the first time. He let out a different call of alarm! "CAT! CAT SCARY!"

"What did he say?! That sound was different!" Acapella looked at the kitten.

"Your incredibly intellectual pet has just realized that there is a cat in the room." Banana's ears drooped in annoyance. "It took him...what? Five minutes to figure out that I've been sitting here?"

The bird immediately spread his wings, and puffed up his feathers to look big, and scare the cat away!

"Alright! Alright! I'm going! Yeesh!" Bananas left the room feeling slightly relieved that the "big secret" only involved her old Pearl making a new friend. The cat laughed to herself as a cruel thought came to mind: "YUP! They will make great friends! Their intelligence is identical!"

"PFFFT..." The cat laughed to herself before entering Toaster's room, and falling asleep under the bed.


	15. Walk in the Dark

Gamma had been dealing with all the drama of the house in his own way.

Lilly seemed to be...generally friendly towards the Keronian. The beast was keeping Toaster and Bananas busy at least. It also seemed that Acapella was keeping to herself more frequently too.

This left Gamma in an odd position of independence.

The frog decided that he would take a night walk. He knew for a fact, that the amount of aliens abducting human kids as pets had declined significantly...still, it was nice to be extra-super-careful about these things.

————————

Thus, Gamma was wandering the forest in the backyard. His eyes were glowing intensely. The night air was refreshing, and the weather had finally turned warm enough so that the frog wouldn't hibernate.

As he rustled through the underbrush, an odd sound filled at the air. It sounded almost like...carnival music...but in an incredibly creepy minor key. Gamma walked toward the din with interest.

Sure enough, the sound led the Keronian to a magnificent scene! There were rides! Food! Shows! A ferris wheel! The whole bit!

...and yet...no people...no people at all. The entire thing was incredibly...eerie.

Gamma pulled out one of his new blasters from his hat. The Keronian hadn't yet had to use any of the new hidden artillery constructed at Damage Control, but this place just seemed...so...unsettling.

The new blaster had a much more advanced targeting system, and included a tazer setting, as well as two extra blaster cannons on the side.

The frog cautiously slinked through the abandoned carnival-his eyes darting in every direction. The Keronian could feel his adrenaline pumping. All of his senses were working three times harder than they normally did.

Everything in the area was a little bit... "off". The horses on the carousel had eyes that stared into the soul. The popcorn machine was going off with no tendents. The prize stuffed animals dangling from the game booths looked unearthly in nature...

A twig snapped nearby!

Gamma's eyes darted quickly in reaction to the noise! He pulled the trigger on his blaster! The gun rotated, clicking multiple times- before shooting three plasma balls in the same direction!

The radioactive ammo went directly through one of the food carts! The cart wavered like an odd body of water, before dissapearing entirely.

"(I knew it...hologram...)" the Keronian mumbled to himself as the entire carnival disintegrated into nothingness. In its place stood four tall, purple, aliens with large craniums. The beings looked incredibly annoyed at the frog.

"Damn you Keronian."

"You messed up our trap."

Gamma tilted his head in confusion. "TRAP? For WHAT? Clowns? That creepy excuse for a carnival in the middle of the woods would scare away a Xenomorph!"

The aliens scoffed! "He insulated our holographic abilities!"

Gamma didn't like the direction this conversation was going. The frog pointed his blaster at the invaders threateningly. "I would highly suggest that you leave this planet peacefully...NOW." The Keronian grumbled with threat in his voice.

"...and WE think, YOU'RE outnumbered!" The four aliens pulled out several blasters of their own. They all pointed the guns at Gamma. "What are you going to do about THAT?! HUH? You messed up our Human trap...and now you're going to have to pay...DEARLY."

Gamma sighed in frustration, before glancing at the dime-sized ring on his finger. It was silver in coloring, and had a flat top.

Immediately, Gamma pushed the top of the ring. The piece of jewelry had hinges that forced it open...similarly to a locket.

There was an imediate reaction! The thing may have looked small and helpless, but this ring actually had a gargantuan amount of pocket space on the inside! Large metal tripods crawled out of the ring like spiders. This was imediately followed by a hardy platform made of metal as well. Equipment shuffled together flawlessly, before the coup de gras emerged! It was a MASSIVE 747 airplane engine...or, at least, it USED to be. The Keronian had modified it to serve as a huge plasma cannon! The thing was so BIG, that the tripods and platform's only use was to (basically) hold up the damn thing. The massive weapon could easily destroy an alien ship with one blow!

Needless to say, the four foreign aliens were frozen in fear and shock-as the massive engine hummed in threat of absolutely destroying everything in its path. Gamma smirked. "NOW! Let's try that conversation one more time. Leave, or I'll distroy all of you, AND your ship!"

The strange aliens yelped in fear, before running to their ship in the most cowardly manner. They took off quickly into the atmosphere several seconds later.

"MMMPH... pathetic." Gamma messed with the ring again, and all the equipment simply jumped back into the piece of miniature jewelry.

The frog whistled a tune, as he walked back to the house in the dark...


	16. Nymphicus

It was only a matter of time before Acapella's secret imploded upon itself.

It was a Saturday morning, and the Pearl was going through her new regular routine. She would try her best to ignore the massive amount of damage Lilly had created in the house.

Acapella walked into the kitchen, fixed up a small bowl of various fruit, and proceeded to retreat into her room again.

The house was looking more and more filthy. It was obvious that the Pearl didn't see much point in cleaning up as long as Lilly was around. No one had offered to help her clean anyway.

————————

Acapella was quite proud of herself! She had now successfully taught her new pet almost thirty Human words, and five various whistles!

Even though the Pearl was fairly certain that the cockatiel didn't know the FULL meaning of the words, she was still happy with her new friend all the same!

"Hello there Nymphicus! How are you today?!" Acapella smiled as she took the creature out of it's cage.

"GRAPE!" The bird responded!

"Certainly!" Acapella nodded, before retrieving a grape from the bowl and handing it to her friend.

Nymphicus grabbed the piece of food with his foot, and began to nibble upon the item with glee! "YOU! THANK YOU! THANK GRAPE!" The cockatiel's words were a bit mixed up, but the point came across all the same!

"You're very welcome Nymphicus!" Acapella smiled.

"WELCOME! WELCOME!" Nymphicus nodded his head in amusement!

"OH! Stars! I forgot to bring you some water!" Acapella placed Nymphicus on top of his cage, before grabbing his water dish. "I'll be right back!" The Pearl jaunted out of the room, leaving the cockatiel by himself.

At this point, Acapella either underestimated her pet's curiosity, or forgot to close the bedroom door. Either way, Nymphicus saw an opportunity! The bird climbed down the cage, waddled to the ajar door, pushed the massive object with his beak, and began to explore the house freely!

The cockatiel found Toaster's room, and entered the space with curiosity. Nymphicus spotted the tiny Ruby on the floor, practicing her drawing skills with a colorful pencil. Toaster sang a song that used to make Chirp happy:

—-  
"Little Pair-of-keys...do you always come in a pair?  
Little Pair-of-keys, are you hiding, where?

You come in many colors- blue n' green n' yellow...  
Little Pair-of-keys, such a funny fellow!

...so small and full of fluff...  
...your kindness is enough...  
...to make...me smile every daaaaaaaaaay!

Little Pair-of-keys...  
...fly up to me please...  
Will you make me happy...  
...and come to plaaaaaaaay?!"

—-

 

To the Ruby's shock, a whistle began to mimic her song! Toaster looked up in surprise!

"OH! Pair-of-keys!" The Ruby seemed intrigued that an entirely new species of animal had somehow found its way into the house. "Hello Pair-of-keys! What are you doing in here? Where did you come from?"

Toaster put her finger near the animal. Nymphicus hoisted himself up onto the Ruby's hand with ease. He looked awfully proud of himself!

"What is your name?" Toaster scratched the cockatiel's head feathers. Nymphicus let out an affectionate squeak, before beginning random chatter:

"APPLE!"

"OH! You can talk like Bananas!" Toaster nodded. "So your name is Apple?"

"THANK YOU! GRAPE! YOU! APPLE! PET! PEACH!"

"?" Toaster tilted her head in confusion. "You...you're a confusing Pair-of-keys..."

"STRAWBERRY! BERRY! ORANGE!"

"Ehh? Orange?"

"WELCOME!" The cockatiel bobbled it's head up and down in amusement!

Toaster didn't really understand the creature too well, but figured the animal had been trained by...someone. The bird seemed WAY too affectionate to be wild.

"ACAPELLA! FRIEND! GRAPE!" The bird bobbled again.

"Acapella? OH! ACAPELLA! Do you belong to Acapella? Are YOU the reason she keeps acting so weird?!"

"WE-AH!"

————————

Around this point, There was an audible gasp, and shriek from outside Toaster's room.

"OH! OH STARS! NYMPHICUS! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Acapella began frantically searching for her buddy, hoping and praying that Lilly hadn't acedently eaten him...

Gamma came out of his room wondering what all the din was about.

Toaster also exited her room with the new bird in toe. "Erm...Acapella? Is THIS what you're looking for?" Toaster displayed the bird, as the Yellow Pearl turned around in a desperate panic!

"OH! THANK THE STARS! NYMPHICUS!"

"ACAPELLA! THANK YOU!" The bird quickly took flight from Toaster's finger, and landed on the Pearl's sholder in affection! The creature kissed Acapella on the cheek with his beak, before standing up straight with pride!

"Acapella..." The Ruby smirked. "Acapella...is that YOUR pet? Did you get an aminal friend?!" Toaster looked incredibly smug. She had caught the Pearl being kind towards an Earth animal.

"Er...uh...well..." Acapella blushed horribly.

"Did you buy a Pair-of keys?" Toaster's smug smile only became more and more devious.

Acapella stuck her nose up! "He's NOT a parakeet! He's a cockatiel!" The Gem nodded in agreement!

"So THAT'S why the fruit keeps dissapearing!" Gamma nodded. "Why did you keep him hidden Acapella? He seems like a friendly bird..."

Yellow Pearl blushed horribly. "I didn't want to embarrass myself. I-I have been afraid of other animals for SO LONG, but this...this bird is very calming. He helps me deal with stress..." Acapella nodded.

"Can I play with-?" Toaster started.

"-No!" Acapella let out a defensive yelp which made the Ruby jump! "ALL of the animals already like you Toaster! This one is mine! MINE! I have yet to find another animal companion that enjoys MY company MORE than yours!"

"Wow, that's...an incredibly selfish comment." Gamma seemed baffled.

The Yellow Pearl was on the verge of crying. "I...I just want...an animal friend to call my own. Almost everyone in the house has had an animal companion except for ME! This is the first time I have found an Earth creature that doesn't scare me. He helps me with my stress, and listens to me without judgement." Acapella blushed at the fact that she had exposed one of her greatest weaknesses.

"Oh!" Toaster clapped her hands in understanding! While, YES, the Pearl WAS being rather selfish...wanting all the bird's affection to herself, she had unintentionally given Toaster familiar information she had heard about from the ASPCA. "Gamma! Gamma! Acapella's pet is serving as a therapy animal!"

"A WHAT?"

"A WHAT?"

Both Acapella and Gamma questioned at the same time.

"A therapy animal! They are pets, normally used to help keep people calm during times of great fear or stress! Sometimes, the people at the ASPCA bring healthy animals to visit the children at the hospital before surgery so they don' get scared!" Toaster smiled and nodded. "Acapella's protective of the animal because he's helping her cope with fear and stress! It's Ok Acapella! I won't mess with...erm...Nie-mph-E-cuss-"

"Nymphicus." The Pearl corrected her.

"Yeh. Your pet, if you don want me to. I understands. He's been helping you...huh?" Toaster nodded. She knew from the ASPCA that therapy animals were important to their owners, and should not be messed with unless given permission. The same could be said for service animals that helped humans see while crossing the road.

The Pearl sighed with relief. She was glad that Toaster understood the situation.

"Huh..." Gamma nodded in understanding. Have you introduced him to Lilly yet?"

"NOT IN YOUR LIFETIME!" The Pearl snapped! "That destructive monster will eat him whole!"

"I don't think Lilly would do THAT..." Toaster contemplated to herself. "Although...she is a bit roudy..." Toaster turned to the Keronian. "I think we should keep the two creatures separate until Acapella is comfortable enough to have them meet in a safe place." The Ruby nodded. This was the first time she had seen Acapella attempting to conquer her fear over Earth fauna. Toaster knew forcing the Pearl into an uncomfortable situation would be a step in the wrong direction.

...and her (being Toaster and all) REEEEALLY wanted Acapella to start liking Earth animals, as much as SHE did! The Ruby was suddenly happy that she had taken the volunteer job at the ASPCA...she wouldn't have known about therapy animals otherwise...

"Soooooo...how many words does that bird know anyway?" Gamma inquired.

"OH! He knows all sorts of things!" Acapella clapped her hands. "He knows all his favorite foods! Grape, apple, peach, strawberry, orange...he knows how to say "Thank You", and "Welcome", and "Pet", and "Friend", and (of course) "Acapella"! The Pearl paused for a second...blushing slightly. He...has...also picked up on some...OTHER vocabulary words as well..."

"Such as?" Gamma asked curiously.

As if on que, Nymphicus began to spew random things: "SHALE! CLOD! FRACK! SHUT! SHUT IT! SHUT UP! NO! RUDE! CLOD! BANANAS! THANK YOU! TOASTER! DIAMOND! GRAPE! LILLY! LILLY! ORANGE GAMMA! WELCOME! THANK YOU! WELCOME!"

"Ahh...I see." The Keronian blushed slightly.

Toaster giggled! "Bad pair-of-keys! Using curse words!"

The cockatiel looked toward the Ruby, and tilted his head in confusion. "THANK YOU!" The bird bobbled his head in amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick MAJOR thank you goes out to reader Blue_Pearl! Your recent comments have been AWESOME beyond all belief, and incredibly inspirational!
> 
> I also wanted to ask you, my readers: are there are any specific stories or scenarios you would like to see the AWTH cast tackle? Holidays? Vacations? Etc.? I'm just curious!


	17. Mess

It was about mid-November. To be precise, almost November 15th.

Acapella's birthday.

The renegade decided to visit her friend and get some ideas in terms of gifts and things the family needed.

After leaving the warp pad, the Pearl approached her friend's house in a bit of a shock!

There was a big blue tarp where the back door used to be. It seemed that some of the wall had dissipated as well. Pearl decided to walk to the front door and try that one instead. She knocked on the door politely.

"Acapella? Toaster? Hello?" There was no answer, but there WAS a sudden massive, increaseing, rumble mixed with (what felt to be) a miniature earthquake.

"RRRRUUUUMMMMBBBLLEEEE..."

"BOOOOOOOOOMMM!"

Pearl covered her face, and flinched quickly as a gargantuan explosion blew off a large chunk of the house!

"BORUFF-GRUFF! MERGH!" Lilly barked excitedly before spotting the familiar Pearl down below, and giving her a most disgusting sloppy lick- completely covering the poor Gem in dog breath-saliva!

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH WHY?!" The Pearl screamed toward the heavens in pure frustration! Lilly had done her job of greeting her friend, and retreated back into the new hole that was now an addition to the home.

After pulling a towel out of her gemstone, and attempting to clean the mess Lilly had left behind, Pearl finally got a look at the inside of the house.

She gasped.

Chaos.

The couch was now a pile of leather, fluff, and wood. The stair banister was being held into place with glue and string. There was a layer of food, trash, dirt, footprints, and...god knows what else, all over the floor. Dirty dishes...toys...broken walls...STARS! Pearl had seen Amethyst's room cleaner than this! Was Acapella still living here?! The Crystal Gem couldn't imagine any house with a Pearl looking sooooo...filthy? Chaotic? Horrendous?

"Ugh..." Pearl attempted to enter the "house" and avoid the piles of filth the best she could.

"ACAPELLA?! ACAPELLA?! ARE YOU HERE?!" Pearl wattled toward the stairs.

"UP HERE!" The renegade heard a response coming from the last room at the end of the second floor hall.

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Pearl opened the door, and was met with the saddest, most blissful sight she had ever witnessed.

The room was SPOTLESS- literally. A perfectly white carpet, a perfectly white wall, a perfectly clean window, 4 cookbooks on the floor, and a brand new birdcage. Acapella stood in the middle of the room- a cockatiel on her sholder, smiling in bliss.

"ACAPELLA!" The Pearl was shocked. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HOUSE?!"

"HMM? OH! You mean the FAMILY'S house? Lilly has destroyed it. No point in cleaning if it will just get messed up again. THIS is MY space though! Clean and spotless! I only leave to get food and clean things for Nymphicus! Oh! You haven't met yet! Say hello Nymphicus!"

"FRIEND!" The bird chirped in happiness!

"Acapella..." Pearl looked more than a bit concerned. "What happened to your restraunt?!"

"Lilly happened. No more restaurant." Acapella held back tears as she put on a fake smile. "It's...not so bad if you stay in THIS room though! The stench is almost bearable..."

"Oh, Acapella..." the Crystal Gem could tell that her sister was incredibly upset. She gave her fellow Pearl a friendly hug, as Acapella began to weep softly.

"You must be horrendously stressed..."

"Heh..."helpless" seems like a better term..." Acapella shivered in grief.

"You poor thing...come with me..." Pearl attempted to pull her sister's arm...

"Hang on a second..." Acapella proceeded to put Nymphicus in his cage, and fill her gemstone with bird supplies. She picked up the cage. "I hope you don't mind...Nymphicus has been helping me with the stress."

Pearl nodded "You can bring the bird if you wish..."

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Acapella was currently sitting on Steven's couch- cooing her new pet in his cage. She was attempting to ignore the fact that her ears were burning. Pearl had lured all of the other Crystal Gems into her temple room, and was describing to them the horrendous situation she had seen at the house.

"At least TWO major walls had been taken out by Lilly...the staircase was broken...there was garbage EVERYWHERE!"

"Mph. Sounds like Amethyst's room..." Garnet answered.

"Awww! Thanks Garnet! I try!" The purple Gem was incredibly flattered by the compliment.

Pearl sighed in frustration. "No Amethyst...that's a BAD thing! Her restaurant is destroyed! It seems that Acapella has become SO hopeless, that she's simply given up, and shut herself into her room...and (I hate to say this) her room is only a room in the most minimal sense- no furniture...no wall art...NOTHING! It's even plain old WHITE!" Pearl seemed frustrated.

The three Gems thought to themselves.

"...Sooo...the problem here isn't finding Acapella a birthday gift...but rather, trying to figure out what she DOESN'T need." Garnet nodded.

"Forget A birthday gift...it sounds like she needs an entirely new HOUSE!" Amethyst quipped.

"It wouldn't hurt to give Gamma and Toaster a refresher course on helping friends clean either..." Pearl huffed to herself.

"Sooooo...what do we do?" Amethyst inquired.

"I think I can help!" Steven nodded.

————————

As the Crystal Gems left the temple room, Acapella looked up with interest.

"Good news Acapella!" Garnet nodded. "We're sending you on a...VACATION!" The fusion attempted to show her enthusiasm by putting her arms in the air. "yay."

"Vay- vacation?" Acapella had never heard this word before.

"YEAH! You know...a vacation! It's where you go to an entirely new place for a few weeks, and forget your troubles!" Amethyst attempted to explain.

Acapella sighed. "It sounds wonderful...but I can't leave Gamma or Toaster behind...nor Lilly or Bananas. If I do, there may not be much of a house to go back to..."

"We'll take care of them while you're gone." Garnet nodded. "It's called "house sitting"."

The Yellow Pearl thought this over for a bit. "...but...but...where would I even go?! I have no desire to visit any specific location...I'm not even sure where Earth's "relaxing spots" are..."

"Just trust us on this." Garnet nodded.

————————

Several private talks and communications between the Crystal Gems and their friends later, Acapella, Nymphicus, and Amethyst were instructed to take a trip on the Warp Pad- dissapearing from view.

From this point forward, the plan was simple: distract Acapella, and give her the most epic birthday gift ever!


	18. Plan and Preparation

When Garnet arrived at Acapella's house, she could immediately see what Pearl had been talking about. The building was a hovel! It looked like a bomb had detonated somewhere from the inside.

The fusion entered the house- arms crossed in concern and dissapointment.

"BAROOOO!" Lilly immediately ran forward in a jaunt of excitement and joy!

Garnet simply held a single hand out, touched Lilly's forehead, and stopped the corrupted beast immediately-dead in her tracks.

"BAWOOF!" Lilly seemed surprised by the sheer strength of her friend!

"SIT." Garnet was most serious and solemn.

"BOOMPH..." Lilly sat obediently. Garnet nodded in approval.

"Garnet! Thank the stars you're here!" Bananas bounded over the piles of rubbish and dry wall. "We can't find Acapella! Have you seen her?!"

"Yes." The fusion nodded. "-she's in Japan."

"Japan? JAPAN?! WHAT THE FRACK IS SHE DOING IN JAPAN?!"

"LANGUAGE!" Pearl shouted!

Garnet grumbled. "She was so stressed out when we last saw her, that we decided to give her a nice looong vacation."

"Gems don't go on vacation...at least not PEARLS..." The cat thought to herself and remembered going to a fancy Gem retreat when she was still a Diamond. She recalled the place being filled with Pearls that would bring her expensive chocolates and warm towels.

"I'm going to PRETEND like I didn't hear that..." The renegade Pearl gritted her teeth with rage. "-A-HIM! ANYWAY! Acapella's birthday is coming up! We've got TWO WEEKS to clean this dump, and make it look nice again!"

"UGH. Manual labor. Good thing YOU'RE here renegade!" The cat stood on her hinds, and clapped her front paws twice, before settling down, and closing her eyes smugly.

At this point, Pearl was in an horrific rage. "YOU ARE GOING TO HELP TOO...CAT!" Pearl picked up Bananas aggressively by the scruff!

"MEW!" The kitten gave off a yelp of distress, before naturally curling into a tiny ball. Bananas dangled helplessly as Pearl screamed into her face in a full out rage. "MEW! MEROW!" The baby kitten cried in distress.

"That's enough Pearl." Garnet nodded for her friend to stop. The fusion was much more worried about Gamma and Toaster at this point.

————————

They found Toaster asleep in her bed- it seemed she was napping. The Ruby was having a dream which involved her and a massive Gem-sized version of Chirp hugging each other in glee. A tear went down Toaster's face in joy. She looked so bundled up and happy...

"DAWW. Leave her be...just for a few more minutes." Garnet nodded, before closing the door slowly.

————————

Gamma was in his room across the hall- completely oblivious to anything that was going on. His room was filled to the brim with wooden shavings. It seemed that the frog was attempting to carve a giant, beautiful, cockatiel sculpture from wood. Gamma knew Acapella's birthday was coming up, and had heard that her room was completely barren. He figured the massive piece of art would bring some much-needed color to her living space.

The two visiting Gems were quite impressed with the piece! Still, Pearl looked at the wood shavings around the room with dissapointment.

Gamma looked up in surprise at the two unannounced guests! "ACK! DON'T LOOK AT IT!" The frog quickly stood in front of the sculpture, attempting to block the piece of art from view. "-It's not finished yet!"

"It's fine Gamma. We won't tell." Pearl nodded.

The Keronian sighed in relief. "Sorry about that...I don't like people seeing my unfinished work...it makes me feel....vulnerable."

"If it makes you feel any better, the sculpture is already looking quite lovely!" Garnet nodded.

Gamma smiled in relief, before the fusion continued: "-however, there is a more pressing matter at hand. Have you seen the remainder of the house as of recent?"

The Keronian nodded sadly. "Yes...Lilly has been creating quite a mess of things. Acapella usually enjoys cleaning at night, but lately she's been acting...quite strangely. She spends a LOT of time with that bird..."

Garnet crossed her arms. "Not all of the mess down there was caused by Lilly. There's food, garbage, dirty dishes, toys, and many other things. Tell me Gamma, have you been helping Acapella with keeping the house clean?"

The Keronian shrugged with guilt. "I've tried to help her in the past. She always yells at me and ends up redoing the work..."

"You could AT LEAST take the trash out instead of throwing it on the ground. YOU should help out with THAT at least!"

The frog blushed in embarrassment. He supposed that he had been falling into cluttered habits.

"Now, we are here to help! We want the house to be nice and clean as a gift for Acapela's Birthday!"

"Ah! A wonderful idea!" Gamma clapped his hands enthusiastically! "-but...won't Acapella be upset with me?"

"We've sent her on a long, relaxing, vacation."

"That's perfect!" The frog smiled! "Of course I'll help...just as long as I have enough time to finish the sculpture..." Gamma looked back at the wooden bird.

"That's fine...but the house takes priority." Pearl stressed this point. The Keronian nodded in agreement.

————————

Thusly, the major project soon went into motion! There was a limit on time, and everyone would have to use all of their stamina to get the house looking nice again.

When Toaster awoke, she picked out her scattered toys among the rubble. Gamma placed discarded food and trash in garbage bags.

Garnet and Lilly-the two strongest of the group, helped create a massive pile of drywall and other broken house parts. To Bananas' disgust, she was having to use her tiny paws to shuffle through the dirt inside of the house in order to locate the carpet and ground floor. Pearl was doing this too, but was utilizing her spear in a way to break apart some of the larger pieces of scrap.

Garnet ended up tossing the entire dissesembled couch into the pile of house rubble.

————————

By the time the carpet could be seen again, it was obvious that the house was in even worse condition than anyone had realized. The stair banister would have to be replaced entirely. The white carpet had unremovable stains from the various clutter. It probably also didn't help that one could easily see right through the house using the two massive holes Lilly had made on either side.

Depite the group's best efforts, the place STILL looked like a dump.

"Well, that was...pointless." Gamma seemed disheartened.

"My paws hurt!" Bananas complained.

"Mmmph..." Garnet mumbled to herself before frowning In dissatisfaction. This was no good at all. The damage was irreversible. The easiest thing to do at this point would be to knock out the entire first floor, keep the second floor, and completely gut and replace the living room and kitchen.

————————

Several hours passed. The group decided to take a short break to rest and refuel.

Pearl attempted to keep spirits up: "Hey! I know this situation is frustrating, but look at how much progress we made in just ONE day!"

"That's great and all...but how are we supposed to fix the rest of it?!" Bananas complained.

"Even if we WERE to fix it...there is always a chance Lilly would distroy the place again..." Gamma quipped.

"GROOOOOO..." Lilly moaned in guilt and sadness.

"HEY! You hurt her feelings!" Bananas snapped at the frog.

"Don't worry everyone. Help is on the way." Garnet obviously had something big planned.

————————

The next morning a massive amount of various building trucks pulled up to the house.

To the family's surprise, Steven and his father-Greg exited one of the trucks.

"Hey guys!" Steven waved at everyone pleasantly!

"Jeez Stu-ball...you weren't kidding..." Greg looked over the hovel in surprise! "Good thing we brought the professionals in for this one!" Greg and the Gems had helped build Steven's origional house from scratch, but had much less experience with massive repairs and (in this case) possible expantion...all to be completed within TWO WEEKS no less! Steven's home had taken MONTHS to construct.

Workers piled out of the trucks and began construction immediately!

————————

First, the entire carpet was lifted.

Then, half of the house was completely dimolished using a mixture of a wrecking ball and various sledgehammers.

New kitchen models were shown using magazines.

Tile was chosen.

Colors were agreed upon.

A professional Zoologist was brought in.

Several famous chiefs looked at restaurant models.

————————

After all was said and done, Acapella's Birthday gift looked absolutely exquisite!

The group nodded in agreement, and thanked Greg for his generous contribution!

The man blushed. "Gee. It's no big deal. Money is no good if you just sit on it, and I still have TONS left over..."

"Still so! I have never seen such a generous human..." Gamma nodded.

"YEH! Acapella's going to like this lots and lots!" Toaster's eyes lit up in admiration.

"Thank you so much for helping us out! Feel free to drop by and eat for free anytime!" Gamma smiled.

————————

There was still so much to do- specifically, online shopping for some last minute odds and ends.

The group could not wait to see the look on Acapella's face!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanted to give a quick shout out to The_Lampman who has written and posted an AU ending to chapter 4: "Winter" on AO3! Check it out!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012298/chapters/32268999


	19. Japan

As the light from the warp pad faded, Acapella and Amethyst found themselves in the middle of a lush forest.

The Yellow Pearl looked about curiously, while holding on to Nymphicus' cage closely. "Wh-where are we?!"

"You'll see...follow me." The purple Gem began to rummage through the flora as Accapella followed.

————————

Soon the two Gems came upon a clearing.

Acapella gasped in shock!

In front of her was a massive hidden community of various aliens! The houses looked incredibly different and old fashioned. They were all uniform- red roofs, wooden frames, and a sort of quaint unity among the residents.

Some houses were perched on hillsides. There was quite a bit of farmland as well...mostly wetlands growing rice.

"Wha?! What IS this?!"

"Welcome...to Japan!" Amethyst smiled at her friend's agaped face.

As the duo walked among the crowd, it only took two minutes before a scream resonated from the herd! "OH! ACAPELLA! ACAPELLA! OVER HERE!" There was a pink Keronian waving the Gem over. It was Prolulu- Gamma's mother.

Slightly blushing, the Pearl walked over to the enthusiastic Keronian. "OH ACAPELLA! I'm so glad to see you!" The pink frog clapped her hands excitedly!

"Erm...you too...Gamma's...erm...mom?" Acapella felt a bit embarrassed. On the few occasions Gamma's family had been nearby, she hadn't really bothered learning their names. They were just sort of acquaintances. She didn't know them very well on a personal level.

"Oh! It's Prolulu dear! Sorry! I know we haven't really had a lot of "girl time" to get to know each other..."

Acapella didn't know what "girl time" was, but figured it had something to do with socializing.

"OH! I see you came too Amethyst!" The Keronian turned to the shorter Gem. "I suppose you're going to do your...erm..."regular rounds"?"

"OH! You KNOW it! I DO have a reputation to upkeep after all!"

Acapella looked at Amethyst suspiciously...incredibly confused.

"Oh. Amethyst is well known for pranking all the Humans in the area. She's been doing it for YEARS...aparently." Prolulu explained.

"YEUP! I'm kinda a BIG deal around here!" The Gem began to gloat. "They've even made me sort of an honorary mascot! The locals here call me the "Purple Tanuki" but, when they say it, it sounds more like: "Pāpurutanuki"." The Gem nodded.

Acapella looked concerned. "Does Garnet and Pearl know you do this?"

"NOPE!" Amethyst smiled maliciously. "-and you BETTER not tell them! You'll ruin HUNDREDS of years of Human tradition of you do!"

Acapella sighed to herself. "What a nuisance..."

Prolulu decided to change the subject quickly: "What a lovely bird you have Acapella!...a cockatiel...correct?"

"APPLE!" Nymphicus bobbled his head!

"...oh! He speaks too! Such a smart bird!"

"THANK YOU!" Nymphicus hobbled back and fourth.

"I hope it's ok that I brought him..." Acapella hadn't thought about who'd she be staying with during this "vacation"...

"It's completely fine! As long as he doesn't mind company...we have a pet of our own you see...I don't think Nibbles will mind a cockatiel.

"Nibbles?"

"She's a Cabbit."

"OH!" Acapella nodded with enthusiasm! She wasn't very keen on Earth animals, but she didn't mind alien pets. Cabbits were typically adorable, family friendly, well behaved, and could be (surprisingly) useful in case a quick escape was needed. Over time, the adorable cat-rabbit looking hybrids had evolved to a point where they could turn their tiny, soft, organic bodies into massive metallic spaceships! "I'm sure the Cabbit won't mind Nymphicus...they typically do well with other animals!"

Prolulu nodded in agreement.

"WELP...now that you two have gotten acquainted, I'm off to do other stuff! BYE!" Amethyst waved casually, before walking back into the woods surrounding the alien community.

Prolulu shook her head in sarcasm. "That Amethyst...probably off to prank someone again. Mercy!...Well, shall we Acapella? I'll show you where you will be staying! We have a gorgeous guest room that we haven't really gotten to use until today..."

"OH! Um...YES! Right!" The Pearl felt a bit overwhelmed that she was staying with aliens she barely knew, but followed Prolulu as politely as possible.

————————

The Keronian's house was...certainly different than the houses in North America.

Prolulu slid the front wooden door sideways. "ATMOMO! WE'RE HOME!" As the wife yelled for her husband, Acapella noted that the Keronian was taking extra precautions to wipe her feet clean on the front mat. It was almost an awkward obsessive amount of time to clean one's feet. Acapella decided it must have been a cultural barrier, and began to wipe her shoes violently on the mat as well.

"Oh! Acapella! You don't have to mimic me! Just take off your shoes before entering the house! It helps keeps the dirt outside. The only reason why it's taking ME so long is because Keronians don't wear shoes..."

The Pearl nodded before taking her shoes off, placing them on the mat, and immediately regenerating a new pair.

Prolulu seemed surprised at this! "Wow...I wish I could do that! I'd be able to wear shoes in the house...and never have to worry about getting new ones..."

Atmomo entered the front room to greet the new guest..."ACK! Acapella! Your shoes!-"

"It's ok dear! It's ok! Look!" Prolulu pointed at the second pair of shoes that had been placed on the mat.

"You...you were wearing TWO pairs?!" Atmomo seemed baffled!

Acapella smiled. "Not exactly. I can regenerate certain parts of my outfit in case something rips or tears..."

"THAT'S AMAZING!" The husband seemed incredibly impressed! Acapella beamed with pride. The entire scenario reminded her of when she first met Gamma. Keronians seemed clueless, but also impressed and intrigued with the most trivial of Gem things...

A second, smaller creature soon ran into the room as well. The brown cabbit was as cute as could be! It's ears were so long and fluffy, that the excited pet kept tripping over itself! No bigger than a bunny, the animal had an extra poofy tail, and two sets of super long whiskers. "MWAAA! NYAAA! MERF! MOOF!"

"Nibbles! Hello! I'm home!" The Cabbit jumped into Prolulu's arms with glee!

"MAAAAA! NEOW!" The creature seemed more than happy that her entire family was together.

Acapella imediately saw the creature's appeal. "So that's Nibbles! What an adorable pet!" The Yellow Pearl smiled.

The Cabbit looked at Nymphicus in his cage with interest. The new animal sniffed toward the bird. "MERO?"

The cockatiel began to flap his wings wildly- not quite knowing WHAT to think of the new creature. "ACAPELLA! ACAPELLA! WE-AH!"

"MERF!?" The Cabbit seemed more frightened and confused than charmed by the bird.

————————

The guest room was very quaint and serine. It was MUCH smaller than Acapella's room at home, but still included a closet and a chest of drawers. The Pearl placed Nymphicus' cage on the wooden chest, before exiting to act as a good guest to her hosts.

————————

The next thing the Pearl knew, she was in the living room with Gamma's family...talking about ALL SORTS of random stuff!

Gamma was (of course) the first topic of interest. These were his parents...after all. They asked all the things regular parents ask about their little ones.

"How has he been?"

"Has he been eating well?"

"Gamama's not stressed...is he?"

"He better be careful with those horrendous weapons he's always building..."

"OH! Did we ever tell you about the time his head got stuck in a bucket when he was a tadpole?"

After learning more embarrassing stories involving her friend than she EVER wanted to hear, the Keronians asked the Pearl: "So...what are you planning on doing during your visit?"

This question shocked Acapella! She hadn't even been told by the Crystal Gems WHERE they were taking her...much less WHAT she was going to do once she got there.

"I...I...have no clue. Honestly? This entire vacation was kind of a "spur-of-the-moment" thing. No one even told me where I was going before I got here..."

"Well...what do you LIKE to do? What are your interests Acapella?" Atmomo inquired as he pet Nibbles whom was laying on his lap.

"Well...I love cooking. Maybe I could try and teach myself how to make some of the local cuisine? What is the food like here?"

"It ranges. There are a LOT of dishes that utilize rice, seafood, and vegetables as staples." Prolulu nodded. "Japan is most famous for its sushi and tea...although if you want to try something REALLY unique, there are places that have very...INTERESTING dishes..."

"Such as?!"

"Weird stuff you can't get anywhere else on this planet: squid ink, Kobe beef, octopus, fugu..."

Acapella suddenly perked up! "There are chiefs that know how to prep fugu here?!"

"Well...yes...although it's very difficult to get a license to prep fugu...I've heard it takes about three years of apprenticeship! So finding a chief to teach you is rather...difficult. Plus, you can't buy it from the store unless you have a license..."

Acapella suddenly looked incredibly determined! "Than THAT'S what I wanna do while I'm here!" The Yellow Pearl had wished to learn how to prep this dish for SO LONG. Supossedly, it was the most difficult food to prepare on Earth! If she could accomplish THIS meal, she could cook anything...even if there were only a few countries that allowed the serving of fugu..."Yes! Yes! I want to learn!" Acapella had stars in her eyes!

The two Keronians gazed at each other, nervously. "Well...I'm not sure if any alien chiefs know how to prep the dish..."

"BAH! That's fine!" The Pearl waved her hand in a nonchalant way. I deal with Humans every day at the restaurant!"

"Well...yes...but there are very strict rules protaining to us aliens interacting with humans here." Atmomo informed.

"How hard can it be?"

————————

As it turned out, finding a professional fugu chief was going to be a bit more...DIFFICULT than previously expected. After doing some major research, Acapella found out that Japan did not allow ANY aliens to enter Human populated areas. It was completely illegal.

Acapella seemed incredibly disappointed that she was SO CLOSE and yet, SO FAR from reaching her goal.

In the meantime though, the Keronians took the Pearl to several fancy local restaurants. While there was no fugu, Acapella did manage to try squid ink pasta, octopus, various types of sushi, and some green tea ice cream.

Gamma's parents also provided other specialty meals- including the well-talked-about famous "space omelette" Gamma often spoke so fondly of.

The omelette seemed horrendous. It had spider-like apandages and several mysterious eyeballs that would blink of you poked them. The dish looked incredibly unappetizing, but tasted heavenly!

————————

Amethyst would frequently check in to see how Acapella's vacation was going (and to refuel by eating as much of the Keronian's food as possible). In private, Prolulu explained that while Acapella was having a wonderful time, the Pearl seemed incredibly dissapointed by the fugu situation.

Amethyst had an idea.

————————

The purple Gem transformed herself into a raccoon, and decided to visit a dock by the sea.

After sneaking around the fishing market, undetected, Amethyst finally found the perfect prize! A shopkeep was dragging a small bag full of the expensive fugu fish into his store.

In a burst of excitement, the tanuki sprang foreword, snatched the bag handle with her mouth, and ran as fast as she could...back into the woods!

Amethyst snickered to herself! What a tricky Gem she was! She could hear the salesman cursing, and shouting obscenities to the heavens as he shouted the name: "パープルアライグマ!"

————————

"Here you go Acapella! One LARGE bag of fugu!" Amethyst presented the prize, incredibly proud of herself!

The Yellow Pearl's eyes lit up, before a grim realization swept over her. "Amethyst...where did you get this?"

The Purple Gem suddenly looked extreamly guilty. "Don't worry about it! Just...go with the flow!"

Acapella decided it was wise not to ask follow up questions. She didn't want to know. Sometimes, blissful ignorance had its perks.

The Yellow Pearl figured: even without a teacher, at least she could practice preparing the dish now...

Unfortunately, this meal was much more difficult to make than she could've possibly imagined! She failed to avoid the poison every time she attempted to cut the fish. Still so, Acapella was happy that she (at least) got the chance to practice a bit. It was a much more satisfying conclusion to the trip than not being able to try the dish at all!

————————

After two weeks of cooking, relaxation, fun, and quiet, Acapella felt refreshed, and ready to face the world again! It was time to go home.

Both of Gamma's parents seemed bittersweet. They enjoyed the Gem's cooking and company.

Prolulu handed a wrapped, circular package to the Pearl as a parting gift. "This gift is mostly for Gamama and Toaster- but we believe you will enjoy it as well!"

Acapella thanked the family profusely for their hospitality, before nabbing Nymphicus' cage, and following Amethyst back to the Warp Pad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait on this chapter guys...I’ve been dealing with a whole bunch of medical crud. My muse has been staggering as well...yeesh...
> 
> For anyone curious- YES. This chapter DOES reference another Steven Universe fic of mine!
> 
> (specifically chapter 9 of “Folklore”!)


	20. November 15th

As the warp stream pulled Amethyst and Acapella along to their destination. The Yellow Pearl decided to speak up: "Amethyst...I wanted to...thank you."

"Huh?"

"-that...that..."vacation" was AMAZING! It's just what I needed to unwind."

"Eh...It was no big deal. I go there all the time as a raccoon anyway..."

Acapela sighed. "It was so lovely there. All I can think about now is how filthy and horrid our own house looks in comparison..."

"I'm sure your house doesn't look THAT bad..."

"There are two massive holes in the walls. It's SO bad, you can see right through the house from one side to the other!"

"Oh." Amethyst was unsure how to respond to this comment.

As the warp stream reached its destination, the two Gems landed in the forest behind Yellow Pearl's house.

Acapella sighed. "Come on Nymphicus...let's go back home..." The Gem seemed incredibly depressed. She supposed, if the worst came to pass she could always use the warp pad and return to Japan to relax again on her own time.

————————

As the house came into view, Acapella's mouth hung agape. The sight was SO shocking, she nearly dropped Nymphicus' cage!

"SUPRISE!" There was a unison cheer! All of the Pearl's family members and Crystal Gem friends stood in front of the massive miracle!

Not only had the house been fixed, but it had also been refurbished and repainted to include some light yellow coloring! In addition, there were two brand new massive buildings that had been added to the property. Both were completely separate from the home itself.

"BUH? WHA? GEH? What is THIS?!" Acapella had a lack of words as she stared at the beautifully fixed house.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACAPELLA!" Toaster shouted enthusiastically!

"! Oh! Oh...it is? It's MY Birthday? Really?" Admittedly, The Gem hadn't bothered looking at the date on her birth certificate.

"-You...you mean...you didn't know?!" Toaster seemed a bit disheartened.

The Yellow Pearl blushed terribly. "Uh...Erm...It must have slipped my mind. I thought everyone was just being super nice to me..." Acapella seemed slightly embarrassed. The party stared at their friend in a awkward shock.

"Well...that was...certainly not the reaction I was expecting. Mrrph..." Bananas huffed in exhaustion.

"OH! NO! NO! Don't get me wrong! I'm still incredibly surprised! What is all this anyway?!"

"Your Birthday present!" Toaster attempted to round up the enthusiasm again! "Come on Acapella! Come and see!"

———————-

The stair banister had been fixed and replaced. The white carpet had transformed into easily cleanable white tiles. Walls, shelves, and holes were repaired. In addition, the entire first floor's mess was completely gone! A new, identical, dark brown leather couch had been brought in...the shredded old one out of sight. Other than that though, the first floor was (pretty much) the same.

"OH! It looks completely new! This tile will be much easier to clean than the carpet was!" Acapella clapped her hands with joy!

"HEY! HEY! Look at your room Acapella! Your room!" Toaster's sudden comment made the Yellow Gem nervous, as she rushed up the stairs. She HOPED and PRAYED that her private space haddn't been completely destroyed during her absence.

————————

Acapella opened the door, and sighed with relief. There was a large poster of a cockatiel on the left hand wall. A small wooden chest of drawers had been placed in the open, with a massive hand-carved wooden cocktail on top. A new beautiful bed with a wooden frame and conservative yellow sheets was also sitting on the right side of the living space. Nothing more- nothing less.

The room had a definite theme of her favorite color and animal now, and (as much as she hated to admit it), Acapella DID have to agree that the room looked much more...COMPLETE.

"OH! Thank you all! Thank you! I love it! It's just enough!" The Pearl smiled before adding: "-also, NEVER GO INTO MY ROOM EVER, EVER AGAIN WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! MINE!"

Acapella loved the gift, but this was still HER living space! HERS!

The group looked a bit sheepish at this comment.

————————

Banana's seemed super excited about showing her previous Pearl one of the newly added buildings.

From the outside, the structure matched the house's paint job exactly. However, THIS building had nothing but white carpet, a massive round stuffed pillow, and a heat/cooling system on the inside. The living space had been made using steel, and the strongest type of concrete. The strange structure also had a massive domed entryway with a plastic flap leading into a large gated yard with a fence. It almost looked like someone had built a massive dog house for an elephant...

...which is exactly what it was.

Lilly now had a place of her own to run, sleep, and play. The corrupted Gem panted happily, and rolled about with glee, as she showed off her new pink pillow! As the animal rolled about- the wall kept it's shape. It was a strong enough fortress for the massive creature to live in comfortably.

————————

The last building was definitely Acapella's favorite gift! It was a professional restaurant! Complete with a gargantuan open kitchen, two bathrooms, a professional brick oven, tables, booths, and a computerized cash register! Acapella gasped in delight as she hurriedly inspected the beautiful venue!

The eatery even had a professional sign with a logo hanging from the front door. The picture included an open oyster with a pearl inside, and stated: "Le Restaurant Perle Jaune", which (Apparently) translated into "The Yellow Pearl Restaurant" in French.

Acapella began to cry tears of gratitude. "Oh! It's so wonderful! I love it, I LOVE it! THANK YOU ALL!"

The Yellow Pearl ended up hugging the entire lot of the crowd with joy and happiness!


	21. The Secret

Toaster had a special secret. A secret no one knew!

It was another normal day, and the little Ruby decided to take her regular walk into the woods. She would always return several hours later with a guilty smirk on her face! Nobody thought anything of it. Gamma knew that Toaster liked examining the wild animals, and Acapella was totally fine with the Ruby disappearing for several hours while she worked...just as long as the Gem didn't drag fauna or dirt into the home.

\----------------

Today was no different. Toaster waved "goodbye" to her friends, and began her rounds outside...

As soon as the Ruby was out of sight from the house, her work would begin!

Toaster started pulling specific plants out of the ground and stuffing them into her gemstone. She found flowers, small trees, bugs, and many other oddities...and proceeded to put those into her gemstone too...

\----------------

Several hours later, the little Ruby returned to the house- slightly filthy and proud of herself!

Acapella insisted Toaster take a bath, to which the Ruby was more than happy to oblige! Soon, the little Gem was ready for bed and tucked herself in! "GAMMA! I WANT A STORY!" The shouting gained the Keronian's attention right away. He still wasn't fluent enough in English to READ a story, but he COULD recite the same fairy tales that his parents used to tell him. The frog chuckled. "Alright Toaster! Be there in a sec!"

...

Thus, Gamma entered the Ruby's room, sat on her bed, and began to weave a tale! "A-HIM! Once upon a time, there was a mighty warrior who dreamed of leaving her secluded island to see the world!"

"Was she beautiful?"

"Indeed!"

"...and strong?"

"Yup!"

"...and-"

"-Toaster! Are you going to let me finish the story or not?!" The frog laughed!

"Oh! Sorry Gamma!"

"That's quite alright! Anyway, the warrior-" The Keronian stopped suddenly...looking...rather surprised!

Toaster's gemstone was glowing.

"? What's the matter Gamma? Why'd you stop?"

"-Erm...uh...Toaster? Your gemstone is glowing!"

"OH! It is? OH...OH NOES! Hang on a second..." The little Ruby took one of her blankets, and tied it around her forehead. "There! See? All better!" The Ruby smiled with a slightly guilty look about her.

Gamma put his hands on his hips. "Toaster...why is your gemstone glowing sporadically like that? Are you ok?"

"Yeh! Toaster's alright! Finish the story Gamma!" The Ruby looked even more guilty than before.

"TOASTER...are you hiding something?"

"N-noes! My gemstone always does that...don't you remembers?" The Ruby began to sweat nervously.

"You know I can tell when you're lying Toaster...come on now! Off with the blanket! I need to make sure you aren't sick..." At this point Gamma attempted to tug the blanket off of his daughter's forehead with very minimal results. Toaster had an excellent grip on the thing, and refused to let the item be removed!

"Come on Toaster! Take it off!"

"NOES!"

"Toaster..."

"NOES!"

"TOASTER!"

The Ruby shook her head in defiance! Gamma huffed. "Why the stars are you acting so suspiciously?! Come on! As your father, I command you to take the blanket off! I need to make sure you're feeling okay!"

"Toaster's fine!"

"Than take it off and prove it!"

The Ruby sighed in defeat, before yanking the blanket away. The gemstone was still glowing, but Toaster didn't seem to be in any pain or strife.

"What the Stars?..." Gamma poked at the gemstone curiously, and was surprised when a part of his hand went through it! "WEEP!" The Keronian retreated his hand quickly. "Well...this is...NEW..."

Toaster blushed.

In a sudden amount of excitement, something began to materialize from the gemstone! The bright item in question was...was...MOVING.

"The Hell?!" At this point Gamma looked absolutely terrified! The light finally began to recede, and revealed a wild hare! The rabbit was sitting on the bed completely oblivious to what had just happened. It seemed to be cleaning its face with its little paws! The hare suddenly glanced around with shock! This wasn't the forest! How did he end up HERE?!

With a mighty thump of his foot to scare the enemy, the rabbit jumped back into Toaster's gemstone. The rock shined brightly again, before the creature disappeared.

"Wha? WHA? WHA?!" Gamma was baffled! "Toaster! Have you been keeping an Earth animal in your gemstone?!"

"I-I feed thems every day! It's ok Gamma! The bun LIKES my pocket space!"

"Toaster! You can't just keep a wild rabbit in your gemstone! It belongs outside!"

"...but...but...the bun is safe from bad animals in there!"

"Toaster..." Gamma sighed in frustration. "You can't have a rabbit living in your gemstone. You have to return him to the woods first thing tomorrow!"

"Awww...alrights Gamma. I'll let the bun you saw go..."

\----------------

True to her word, Toaster released the rabbit the next day. Feeling slightly downtrodden, she decided to sit quietly at the kitchen table, and watch Acapella cook lunch. The duo was so distracted by the activity, that neither one of them noticed when Toaster's gemstone began to glow again.

Acapella turned around in surprise! She had no clue Toaster had been watching her the whole time! "Erm...Toaster?"

"Huh?" The Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"Toaster...you're gemstone's glowing...are you alright?"

"WHA? Glowing? Oh...OH NOES! Not again!" The little Gem quickly placed her entire head on the table-gemstone and all, so that nothing could escape!

Acapella huffed! "What the stars are you doing Ruby?!...LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Yellow Pearl forcefully lifted Toaster's head off the table...

...and immediately wished she hadn't.

From the red gemstone, flowed a scene straight out of a horror flick! There were THOUSANDS of cockroaches, centipedes, ants, and beetles that crawled out of Toaster's head. This was immediately followed by swarms- specifically, flies, bees, locusts, butterflies, and dragonflies!

Acapella screeched in horror as the massive cloud of insects invaded her kitchen!

"WHAT?! WHAT THE FRACK TOASTER?! AGGGHHHH! WHY?!"

The massive swarm covered Acapella's lunch, and began a feast-completely ruining the dish in the process!

Toaster sighed. "There was a reason why I was blocking my gemstone with the table..."

"UGH-I JUST...WHY ON HOMEWORLD WOULD YOU? JUST-UGHHH!" The Pearl seemed to be at a loss for words. It would probably take five exterminators to get rid of all the pests that had just flooded the kitchen!

\----------------

It seemed that Toaster's secret had been revealed. The little Ruby had still been bringing hundreds of wild animals into the house for MONTHS...just...in secret...using her pocket space. Unfortunately, at this point, the pocket space was activating at random times, all on its own! Apparently, the gemstone was now TOO full, and thus, would dispense wild animals at random intervals.

As the weeks went on, the horrors continued- mice, snakes, a skunk, several abandoned puppies and kittens, a massive barn owl...the list went on and on!

Bananas jumped in surprise while watching TV with the little Gem! A massive, fully grown, female deer and its fawn bounded out from the tiny gemstone, and immediately smashed into the television! The precious box tipped over, and the screen broke in the process!

The final straw was the bear. It was almost half of Lilly's size and looked incredibly pissed off. The massive animal rampaged through the home, dissipated Acapella’s form, destroyed several shelves, and ate every piece of uncovered food in the area!

...

After the incident, Gamma seemed much more curious on HOW Toaster had managed to coax an entire, fully-grown, bear into her gemstone in the first place, rather then the WHY...

\----------------

"THAT IS IT! NO MORE TOASTER! NO! MORE!" Acapella began screaming again as soon as she managed to regenerate. "NO MORE KEEPING WILD ANIMALS IN YOUR GEMSTONE! SHALE!"

Toaster looked incredibly sad at this. She never enjoyed being yelled at...

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT FACE! I was just MAULED by a BEAR!"

Toaster shrugged. "He seemed much more gentle when I found him..."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! THIS SITUATION IS GETTING DANGEROUS!" Acapella huffed a bit, before attempting to calm herself. "Toaster...how many animals are currently in your gemstone?"

Toaster shrugged again. "IDONTKNOW...I collect them when I see them in the woods! Lots of them like kibble and bird seed..."

Acapella smacked herself in the face, before groaning. "Tooooooaaaasssster...you don't even know how many?! It could be MONTHS of this before they all escape..." The Pearl had no where else to turn. She walked over to a phone, and started dialing a number.

"A-Acapella? Acapella! Who are you calling?!"

"MIB headquarters. Your going to visit the doctor so that we can...EXTRACT every organic beast from that idiotic head of yours safely in a...CONTROLLED environment!"

"N-NOES! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! I LIKE MY AMINALS!"

"This is not an argument Toaster. This has now been turned into a safety issue. OH! Hello! Yes. Yes!" Acapella began to chat with someone on the other end of the phone line, while Toaster howled on the floor in a heated tantrum!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone else after watching the two new SU episodes: "OMG! PD = RQ!!!"
> 
> Me: "OMG! POCKET SPACES HAVE OXYGEN IN THEM! I CAN TOTALLY WRITE THAT CHAPTER OF AWTH THAT'S BEEN IN MY HEAD FOR MONTHS!!!!"
> 
> (Laughs) Priorities....am I right? I really did miss writing for these guys...it's been a while....


	22. Gemstone

Toaster was sitting nervously on the examination bed. Her family had (basically) forced her to visit the MIB medical physician. The little Ruby was not only heating up the room in a temper, but had the most puckered, angry, expression Gamma had ever seen!

In a sudden bit of excitement, the alien doctor opened the door to the examining room! The sudden noise distracted Toaster from her tantrum, and made the Ruby jump in fear! The human glanced at Toaster's medical chart, before speaking to the family. "Soooo...Toaster, is it? What seems to be the problem?" The man smiled.

"Nothin'" The Ruby looked away in a huff.

"Oh...come now Toaster...don't be like that. Here..." The man offered the little alien a piece of candy. Toaster glared at the sweet with hesitance, before snagging it with distrust, and eating it veraciously!

While The Ruby was distracted, the doctor decided to ask Gamma and Acapella some follow up questions. "It says here on this chart that "Toaster" is having difficulties with her gemstone?"

"Yes. That gem on her forehead keeps spewing out random Earth fauna!" Acapella huffed in frustration.

"Animals!" The doctor seemed surprised. "Toaster...have you been putting Earth animals in your gemstone?" The doctor turned to the Ruby inquisitively.

"(I-I like my aminals. They're nice...)" The Ruby mumbled to herself.

"I see..." The doctor put his hands on his hips, before grabbing a tool from his arsenal. It resembled a massive black hose attached to a television screen.

Toaster's eyes became large with fright! "What is THAT?! Will it hurt?!"

The doctor laughed! "NO! Don't worry Toaster! This is just a camera! This tube has a mini-cam on the end of it! I just need to put the hose in your gemstone, and then we can see the inside using this miniature tv screen!"

"OH!...NEAT!" Toaster perked up immediately! She had never seen the inside of her own gemstone before! This should be interesting!

The doctor nodded in agreement, before switching the machine on. The tv screen showed the medical poster on the wall...seeing the connecting hose was pointing at the same wall. "Alright Toaster...I just need you to lay down in the medical bed, and stay as still as you can. If you could activate your gemstone, we can see what all this fuss is about, eh?"

Toaster hesitated. "You aren't going to take my aminals...are you?!"

"No. Not right now anyway. I just want to make sure you're healthy."

"Oh...okays!" Toaster obeyed and lied down.

"Good, good than! Right!"

Toaster activated her gem for the doctor. The rock shined brightly with radiance as the human placed the hose into her gemstone...

...

Acapella, Gamma, and the doctor glanced at the television screen in anticipation, before a picture began to formulate...

The trio gasped in surprise!

It...It was a forest! A literal forest! There were massive trees growing everywhere! Gamma wondered for a second whether or not the giant tree roots were attaching themselves to the Ruby's brain...

A squirrel ran past the camera suddenly, and scared the bajeezus out of the spectators. The trio yelped in surprise!

"What?! What is it? What do you see?" Toaster began to get restless- shaking the camera in the process...

"Stop moving around Toaster! We can't see!" Acapella instructed sternly!

The Ruby quickly froze still, as everyone glanced at the TV again. The squirrel sniffed at the camera with curiosity, before being picked up by...

"TOASTER?!" Gamma seemed shocked!

The small Ruby in the gemstone looked at the invasive camera with interest, before giving the hose a shove! The camera immediately fell out of the gemstone, and landed on the floor of the doctor's office.

"WHAT...JUST...HAPPENED?!" Gamma was baffled.

"Ah! Let me explain! Every Gem with a pocket space has one, if not SEVERAL smaller identical Gems on the inside! They typically take care of organization, and helping their host. According to what we just saw, the smaller Toasters do not want us messing with her gemstone."

"Well that's...NEW. Honestly! Why don't you guys ever tell me this stuff?!" Gamma was incredibly surprised!

"You never ask." Acapella nodded in agreement.

"Hmmmm...well, this could be a problem..." The doctor piped up. "It seems that Toaster has created her own ecosystem within her gem. We could remove the animals, but those MASSIVE trees would be out of the question...their roots are planted deep. If we try to remove the plant life, we could risk destroying the pocket space...as well as the gemstone.

"Perfect." Acapella droned. "Well, I hope your happy Toaster! You're going to have disgusting organic plant life in your gemstone for the rest of forever."

"Dat's ok! I like majestic cylinders!" Toaster seemed happy at this fact!

"Well, the issue remains...Toaster, the reason why you are having so many difficulties with your gem, is because there's just too much stuff in there! Watch..." the doctor used a scanner to check the number of items currently being stored inside of the pocket space. The numbers increased to ridiculous heights, until the scanner displayed an "Error" message. "You see? Something's gotta give! Too much stuff!"

"Oh. I need to get rid of stuff to feels better?"

"Right! ...and it can't be the trees." The doctor reminded her.

"Mmmph." The Ruby seemed incredibly disappointed, even though she knew the doctor was right.

"Perhaps it would be beneficial to use a fresh pair of eyes in there to help clear out the clutter?"

"I can do it!" Acapella raised her hand with enthusiasm!

"N-NOES!" Toaster covered her gemstone quickly! "If Acapella goes in, she'll get rid of EVERYTHINGS!" The little Gem shook her head in fear! "GAMMA! GAMMA! YOU do it! You are my ma! You know what's best!"

Gamma blushed. "Is...is it even possible to go into a Gem's gemstone?!" The frog seemed baffled if not a bit confused.

"It is...possible...but the Gem in question must have a fairly LARGE pocket space, AND must give the being that enters permission to do so..."

"I want Gamma to do it! Gamma!" Toaster shouted!

The Keronian seemed incredibly nervous. "I...I really don't know much about these things...it seems I learn new stuff about Gems everyday..."

"It will be EASY Gamma! You just need to separate the AWESOME animals from the VERY AWESOME animals!"

"...erm...uh..." Gamma still seemed quite nervous.

The doctor clapped his hands! "Excellent! Let's go into one of the testing rooms! That way, no animals can escape as they are removed from the gemstone!"

\----------------

Several minutes later, Gamma and Toaster found themselves in one of the MIB testing rooms. The place was currently being filled to the brim with agents and animal cages so that the procedure would go smoothly.

"Stars...what a fiasco..." Acapella looked down at the massive amount of din from the opposite side of the bulletproof glass- hoping that this entire process would ensure that Toaster would never try a stunt like this again.

The doctor offered Gamma and Toaster walkie talkies. Gamma had also been equipped with a mini camera on his hat so that Toaster could give the Keronian advice accordingly.

"Alright. This procedure should go smoothly. If you ever feel like you're in danger Gamma, just let us know, and Toaster can grab you lickity split!"

"Erm...uh...OK? I guess..." Gamma still seemed rather confused.

"Alrighty than! Toaster, whenever you're ready!

The Ruby nodded before capturing Gamma with her gemstone using a strange beam of light!

The next thing Gamma remembered seeing was nothingness. The brightest color of white surrounded him from all angles...


	23. Fear

As the blinding light subsided, Gamma found himself blinking quite a bit to get his eyes adjusted. Sure enough, it seemed he had landed in a peaceful forest somewhere! There were trees, and dirt, and grass, and just about anything a forest could need!

"Huh...this is...surreal..." Gamma looked around at the natural environment. There were clouds in the sky. A nearby peaceful lake gave the entire place a serine atmosphere. The frog could hear birds chirping...bees buzzing...and the nearby sound of a loon. Gamma began to walk. He really was quite unsure where to start in this massive space...

"HI!"

"AAAGGH!" Gamma screamed in surprise as a Ruby suddenly dangled upside down from a tree! The Keronian ended up falling over, before the Ruby jumped down from the massive plant.

The Gem tilted her head in curiosity. "Gamma? Gamma! What are YOU doing here?" the little Ruby seemed excited!

"Erm...Toaster?"

"YAH!" The Gem nodded.

"I'm confused...are you REALLY Toaster?"

"YAH!"

"Huh...well...you sent me into your gemstone. Are we in your gemstone right now?"

"Noes...my gemstone is here!" Toaster pointed at her gemstone.

Gamma desperately attempted to wrap his head around the weirdness of the situation. Thinking quickly on his feet, the frog decided to mimic what Toaster had told him earlier: "Well...erm Toaster...you told me it would be...uh..."cool" if we rounded up all of the animals...and separated them according to "Awesome" and "Really Awesome"?"

"WAH! I said THAT?! That...sounds...like the BEST THING EVERS!" Toaster looked at the frog with stars in her eyes!

"Erm...uh...YUP! That's what you said!" Gamma sweated in nervousness.

"OH! OH! Let me round everyone up!" Toaster gave out a loud whistle.

...

Gamma jumped in surprise, as another Toaster suddenly appeared from a nearby bush!

Another Toaster walked out from the bottom of the massive lake.

Another Toaster popped out of a hole that was dug in the ground.

Another Toaster appeared...and then another...and then another...

Gamma seemed increasingly baffled! When the excitement was all over, there were eight Toasters in all! It was obvious that all of the Toasters were excited that Gamma was present in their regular home!

"Alright Toasters! Gamma here wants to see all the aminals!" The first Toaster bragged! "He wants to separate them by how awesome they are!"

"That's a GREAT idea!"

"I can't wait to show him my aminals!"

"I bet my aminals are gonna be the best!" The crowd of Rubies bantered excitedly, before they separated, and all ran in various directions!

\----------------

Thirty minutes later, Gamma quickly understood why there were so many Toasters in the area. Apparently, each Toaster was in charge of a different type of animal. One Toaster was covered in song birds, another had a group of reptiles following her- including a massive amount of snakes and several alligators.

Insects, large mammals, small mammals, large birds, fish...the last Toaster was obviously in charge of the flora, but carried over a "Venus fly trap"- the most animalistic plant in her collection!

"Look Gamma! See all the aminals! Lots and lots!" one of the many Toasters nodded in agreement! "How should we separate which ones are the most awesome?"

Gamma sweated-incredibly overwhelmed. He had NO CLUE how to separate the animals! The diversity of the massive crowd was ENORMOUS! There were butterflies, bears, large tanks of fish, small mice, squirrels, turtles, and many other things!

The group of Ruby zookeepers looked over their spoils in pride, hoping that their animals would be chosen for glory!

Gamma stood, thinking to himself...wondering where he should start...

...fortunately, he didn't need to. There was a sudden blinding light that erupted from one of the massive bears! All the Toasters looked up at the animal in surprise as he disappeared unexpectedly!

"Wha...?! What happened to Mr. Honey?!" The bear's owner seemed most upset!

...and then, CHAOS.

The blinding lights increased! Animals began to disappear in droves! Entire swarms, and schools, and herds, and flocks! Hundreds upon hundreds of animals (and even the Venus Fly Trap), disappeared in a sudden panic!

The Toasters began to run in circles- desperately attempting to save their friends from disappearing!

"WE'VE BEEN TRICKED! GAMMA IS HERE TO TAKE THE AMINALS AWAY!"

The guilt of a thousand suns hit the Keronian as he witnessed eight completely identical versions of his daughter cry, mourn, and desperately try to stop their friends from disappearing!

"WHY GAMMA?! WHY? WE DON'T WANNA BE ALONE! WE DON'T WANNA!" The first Ruby ran up to the frog and wept in betrayal!

The Keronian answered back: "But...But Toaster! You're NOT alone! You have ME remember?! Me, and Acapella, and Bananas, and EVERYONE!"

"But...But for how LONG Gamma?! How long before you go to da Rainbow Bridge?! Jus like Chirp and Peaches?!" I'll be all alone again! All alone..."

The Keronian looked upon the Toaster in surprise, as her gemstone began to glow! A blinding light surrounded him, and receded quickly...

\----------------

Gamma was in a completely different place now. The sky was smokey with ash. The trees and plants and animals were gone- replaced by bones and husks. The smell of a great fire lingered here. The water was black- dead fish floating on its surface.

Gamma spotted a Ruby nearby, and jaunted toward her quickly. The lone Ruby was staring at something in the sand.

"Toaster? Toaster? Is that you?"

The Ruby said nothing. She just kept staring at the ground.

"Toaster?" The frog approached the Gem from behind, and gasped in fear! Toaster was looking at a skeleton- a Keronian skeleton in the sand. Next to it, was a shattered Yellow Pearl.

The Ruby gasped and wept in guilt and regret as she stared at her two deceased friends. It...it's MY fault. It's all MY fault you are gone Gamma...the heat was too much...too much fire...too much...couldn't control it well enough...everything is gone now..."

Incredibly confused, Gamma hugged the Ruby. "I'm not gone Toaster...I'm HERE see? I'm not gone, nothing has happened to me yet..."

"YET! YET GAMMA!" Toaster shouted! "NOT GONE YET! THAT MEANS IT'S GONNA HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT! I CAN'T STOP IT FROM HAPPENING!"

Gamma quickly realized that this part of Toaster's mind was not the past NOR the future...but fear. YES! An irrational fear of things to come!

"Toaster! Toaster! This isn't REAL! This ISN'T going to happen! Your mind is playing tricks on you!"

"What if it DOES happen though Gamma? What if it DOES?!"

"It WON'T!"

"But...if it happens...I won't be able to see YOU, or ACAPELLA, or my AMINALS, or NO ONES!"

"YES, YES YOU WILL! Toaster! You're such a nice Gem, you'll always have friends and people that care about you...even after I'm long gone!"

"But...but...I don't want you to be "GONE"!"

"l'm not gone yet! Toaster! I'm not going anywhere! Is that why you were collecting animals? You didn't want to feel alone?"

The Ruby cried and wailed in sadness, as Gamma gave her a bear hug.

The world suddenly fell away- the area glowed a shiny white, and Gamma suddenly found himself on the floor of the MIB testing room, surrounded by cages of animals, crying his eyes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really hits home...I shed some tears while writing it. 
> 
> I often fear about things that will (probably) never happen...as well as things I have no control over...just like Toaster in this chapter.  
> I wonder if a lot of people experience invasive thoughts like this that are irrational and unwanted....
> 
> While Pearl's troubles in the latest SU episodes involved her haunted past- Toaster's repressed mind seems to fear "what if's" as well as organic mortality...
> 
> I also want to hug all nine of Toaster's "gemstone Rubies" now....I feel badly for taking their animals away....  
> ;.;


	24. Aminals

As Gamma laid on the floor- crying and in a state of shock, he noted that Toaster was not doing much better. The Ruby bawled as the MIB agents rounded up all the wildlife.

Toaster had played an AWFUL trick...a HORRIBLE trick upon both Gamma and herself. She had encouraged Gamma to round up ALL the animals in her Surface Space, with the full intention of emptying out her entire Gemstone's contents at the same time.

If she was allowed to keep ANY of the animals, she wanted to make the decision as her singular self- with all of her internal Surface Gems voting as a group. Toaster was NOT ready to make this decision so quickly- nor was she prepared for one of her Surface Gems showing Gamma her greatest fear. Needless to say, the entire experience was incredibly traumatic for both aliens.

As soon as Gamma was able to walk again, the first thing he did was approach Toaster-the REAL Toaster- and hug her in sympathy. Toaster was warm- but not scolding. Gamma hugged his daughter for the longest time- tears streaming down both of their faces. The duo said nothing as the MIB agents carried all of the animals in cages out of the testing room.

\----------------

While Acapella was not in the room with the rest of her family, she had seen Gamma's experience through Toaster's mind via a large monitor placed next to the Ruby. The Yellow Pearl found herself crying as well. Her hand was over her mouth with shock. The Pearl felt incredibly flattered that the Ruby cared about her so deeply, and had a sudden urge to hug both her AND the little red Keronian as well.

\----------------

After everything had calmed down a bit, Toaster's therapist, Mary, offered the family into her child-friendly room- just to make sure everyone was alright.

Toaster was hugging her Fred plush- tears still in her eyes. Gamma was in an incredibly...awkward position. Acapella had picked up the Keronian immediately upon him exiting the MIB testing room, and refused to let go of the frog. She was currently holding onto him like a teddy bear. The Keronian was limp with shock, and simply slouched with un-enthusiasm. He didn't seem to mind the Pearl holding him on her lap.

Mary stared at the trio- most concerned. "Erm...uh...so...you guys kinda went on an emotional roller coaster out there, didn't you? Are you...okay?"

Toaster piped up:"I...I don't want Gamma or Acapella to die...an...an...my aminals are all gone..."

"...I don't want the Keronian to die either!" Acapella began to cry.

Gamma said nothing. He simply stayed limp and unresponsive.

Mary looked at the three with sympathy before nodding. "These are very normal feelings for aliens with mortal friends...especially ones with such...dangerous professions. Gamma...would you like to add anything to the conversation?"

"...herf...I...I...don't want to leave my family by themselves. I...I also find myself concerned about my parent's age..."

"Good. Good. This is normal and healthy." The Human nodded as she clapped her hands together. "I would suggest that you all make a point to put some time aside to do something fun as a family at LEAST twice a week! It can be a simple activity- like flying a kite...or something more elaborate, like going to a festival or a cooking class! It's important to create as many good memories and happy times to fall back on as possible! I would also suggest creating a photo-scrapbook of your adventures as well! It's an old, but long lasting Human tradition!"

The trio nodded slowly- still in magnificent shock.

Mary smiled before continuing: "I know this may be sudden and a bit out of place, but Zed said he wanted to see you guys...specifically Toaster, to ask a question!"

Gamma and Acapella seemed less than enthusiastic about the idea, but Toaster nodded in understanding.

\----------------

Zed paced around his office while the three aliens waited patiently for the man to ask his question.

"Hmmmm...Toaster?" Zed looked toward the Ruby. "Have you ever heard the story of "Noah's Ark"?"

"Noes..."

"Do you know what the word "endangered" means?"

Toaster shook her head, completely confused.

"If an animal or plant is on the brink of disappearing forever, us Humans put them on the "endangered" list- it means that there are not a lot of the animal or plant life left!"

"That's-That's horribles!"

"Indeed." The man turned to Toaster again, and smiled. "I'm going to give you an...interesting proposition Toaster! It seems such a shame wasting the gorgeous pocket space you have created. How would you feel about keeping eight species of endangered Earth life in there? One for each Surface Ruby to take care of? The animals would come in family units- a male, female, and possibly a baby for each Ruby! It would be a wonderful way to protect and care for the creatures without having to worry about extinction or poachers..."

Toaster's eyes lit up! It was immediately obvious that she REALLY liked this idea!

Zed continued: "...HOWEVER, if we let you do this, there would be a new rule: no more hoarding various wild plants or animals in your gemstone. It would create dangerous conditions if predators, or poisonous plants were included in the mix. It could also result in the rare animals becoming sick or hurt."

Toaster looked slightly upset at this. It was a big decision to make! She would HAVE to stop collecting animals in the woods if she agreed to the conditions. The Ruby thought it over, before nodding in agreement. YES. THIS was the best solution to all the trouble she had caused everyone!

Zed clapped his hands! "Wonderful!" I will make some phone calls, and have Lucky translate care instructions in Gemmish! You will be receiving various large packages in the mail that will include food for each creature's diet! Just place them in your gemstone upon arrival, and the Surface Rubies should take care of the rest!"

\----------------

The trio was instructed to stay in one of the MIB's hotel-like rooms for the evening while the various animals were being transported to the facility.

Gamma nodded in happiness! "I'm VERY proud of you Toaster! You made a lot of important, and mature decisions today!"

Toaster blushed. "Sorry for putting you guys in such an awkward situation...I feels bad about it..."

"BAH! Don't worry about it." Acapella nodded. "What's done is done! At least it will be somewhat interesting finding enjoyable actives that we can all be a part of! I feel like every time we work together on ANYTHING, it's typically under stress-related situations. What Mary said is...accurate. Having some downtime will be good for all of us!"

Gamma and Toaster nodded in agreement, before getting ready for bed. It had been a long day...

\----------------

The next morning came quickly. Toaster was instructed to enter the MIB testing room again...only THIS time, they were bringing groups of animals in instead of taking them away. Toaster sat on the concrete floor patiently, as Zed announced instructions over the intercom: "OK Toaster! We tried to find eight types of wildlife according to each surface Ruby's specialty! First we have: the Kakapo Parrot!" One of the agents brought in a large cage with two massive green birds, and a small nest with an egg.

Toaster's eyes lit up! "They...they look like GIANT Chirps! All green! BIG pair-of-keys!" The Ruby nodded in excitement!

Zed continued: "They are from New Zealand! There are only about 150 of them left in the wild!"

"WOWS!" Toaster's gemstone lit up, and she placed the animals- cage, egg, and all into her forehead!

"Next we have the Vaquita! An extremely rare Porpoise!" Another agent wheeled in a small aquarium which included three of the animals. They were incredibly small...no larger than a bread loaf! Toaster probably would have mistaken them for fish if their tails weren't flat. The Ruby beamed the tank of mammals into her gemstone as well!

This action was repeated several times, before all eight species of rare Earth life were placed in the comfort of the gemstone- safe from outside threats! Toaster seemed happy and proud of herself!

Next, the agents handed the Ruby a massive stack of papers- instructions on how to take care of the animals- written in Gemmish! Toaster placed this item in her gemstone as well. She figured the papers would be more significant to the Surface Toasters. Last, (but certainly NOT least), several wooden crates filled with appropriate animal food were carted in. The Ruby quickly sent these along as well.

\----------------

As a final precaution, Toaster was sent back to the doctor to check up on her Surface Gems.

The camera displayed one Toaster reading a manual, and another Toaster with both massive Kakapo on her shoulder and hair while setting up the nest properly- being careful not to disturb the egg.

The doctor nodded in agreement! "It seems the surface Gems have taken a liking to the new animals and are caring for them properly! Good job Toaster!"

The Ruby nodded in pride! She would have to be careful about what sort of things she put in her gemstone now, but at least she was helping a lot of Earth animals! Her favorite activity!

\----------------

The family was finally sent home via helicopter again. It seemed that the entire fiasco had ended in the best way possible!


	25. Present

As the trio returned to their humble abode, the aliens attempted to think of a fun family activity they could ALL enjoy!

"I could teach you guys how to whittle! Making sculptures out of wood is very rewarding." Gamma nodded with content.

"Mph...I rather we try a cooking class like Mary suggested!" Acapella clapped her hands with excitement!

"...but...but...Acapella...you already know how to cook EVERYTHINGS!" Toaster looked up at the Pearl with confusion.

"That's NOT true! I STILL don't know how to cook Fugu..." The Pearl seemed frustrated that the deadly dish was still well beyond her grasp.

"I looked into it. It's illegal to cook and serve Fugu on this side of the planet." The Keronian was not being cruel. He had asked the Crystal Gems about the strange food while coming up with Birthday ideas for the Yellow Pearl.

"Merf." Acapella was obviously frustrated, before remembering something she had stored in her gemstone! The bustle of the past few weeks had distracted her horribly... "OH!" With a mighty amount of light, the Pearl yanked an orb-like object wrapped in pink tissue paper.

Toaster's eyes lit up! "WHAT'S THAT?!"

"It's...it's...a present...I think." Acapella blushed, before handing the strange item over to Gamma. "Your parents gave it to me..."

Gamma took the gift with interest. There was a gift tag included with the present that had something written on it in Keronian. The frog looked at it before blushing horribly.

"Well? Well? What's it say Gamma?!" Toaster bounced with excitement!

The Keronian looked at Acapella with concern. "How...how long has this been in your gemstone?!"

"Erm...I don't know...a while? It slipped my mind..." The Yellow Gem looked extremely guilty.

"So?! WHAT DOES IT SAY?!" Toaster was becoming impatient!

"Well...erm...it says: "Happy Belated Birthday to our wonderful son! We hope this gift will provide you as much joy as it has given us!"

"WHAAAAAAA?! Gamma?! We missed your birthday?! When was it?"

"I'm...I'm not sure..." Gamma ran up the stairs and retrieved his Earth birth certificate quickly. The Keronian returned to the living room several minutes later, and read the document. "Huh...apparently my "Earth Birthday" is on May 4th! It seems we missed the date by six WHOLE months!" The creature looked quite sheepish. "I guess the celebration slipped my mind..."

"Oh...oh Gamma...we forgot..." Toaster was embarrassed.

The Keronian laughed! "It's ok Toaster! I forgot too! I think it landed right in the middle of us hunting down those alien poachers taking the kids...it was a busy time! Mom and Dad must have asked the MIB what day it landed on..."

"Well...I guess you should open the present anyway..." Acapella felt horrible; ESPECIALLY after all the work and thought Toaster and Gamma had put into her OWN birthday present.

The Keronian ripped the wrapping paper from the item quickly. His eyes dilated in wonder as the present revealed itself!

"Oh! OH WOW! THIS IS AWESOME!" The Keronian held up the gift in enthusiasm! It was a plain, black, orb. It had no distinguishing features what-so-ever. Smaller than a volleyball, but bigger than a baseball.

Toaster tilted her head- more confused than ever. "Is-is it a toy? A ball? It's a circle. I don understand..."

Acapella had stars in her eyes! "HA! What a nice gift! Well...we can do all SORTS of fun family activities NOW! I wonder if they had to buy it under the black market...do you think the MIB knows?"

"Who CARES!?" Gamma smiled with excitement! "I'll have to send them a thank you note!"

Toaster stared at the object with a blank expression. "I...I don get it. It's just a circle."

Gamma finally came to the realization that Toaster probably didn't know what the present was.. "Ooo! Ooo! TOASTER! You're going to LOVE this!" Gamma handed the mysterious orb over to the Ruby. Toaster looked the item over- attempting to find a puzzle or door on the toy. As the Gem's hands warmed the gift, there was a very surprising:

"THUMP!"

...that was felt from the inside of the sphere! "AHH! It MOVED!" Toaster began freaking out entirely!

"Don't drop it Toaster! It's delicate! Just...keep it nice and warm!"

The Ruby obeyed as the item in question continued to thump from every direction on the inside! With a final: "CRACK!" a massive fuzzy foot and a bellow of steam emerged from the circle!

"OH! OH! It's an EGG!" Toaster nodded in understanding! Apparently the egg just needed a bit of extra heat in order to hatch...

From the sphere emerged another furry foot, a poofy tail, and two magnificent ears! The creature finally exposed its entire self to the outside world!

"MEYAAA! NEOW?"

It was another Cabbit...similar to the one Gamma's parents had as a pet! This creature was a slightly lighter shade of brown than its sibling. It looked around the room in curiosity while being cradled in Toaster's arms.

"WHAAAAAAA?! IT- IT'S CUTE! WHAT IS IT GAMMA?! IT'S CUTE!" Toaster had stars in her eyes, as she held the animal so that it was facing her.

"MEYAA?"

"You're CUTE!"

"Nee!" The creature smiled in enthusiasm!

Gamma explained: "It's called a Cabbit Toaster! It likes to eat vegetables, and can transform into a spaceship!"

"WHAAAA?! HOW? How do ya do that? A WHOLE ship?" Toaster looked at the fuzzy animal with intrigue.

"What's all the commotion in here?!" Bananas walked into the room before seeing the new animal in Toaster's arms. The cat jumped in surprise! "What the Stars?!"

"Looky! Look! It's a Bit! See Yellow Diamond?! Cute!" Toaster displayed the new pet with enthusiasm, shoving the creature into the kitten's face.

"Mayee!" The Cabbit stuck out its tongue in a playful manner!

"HUFF!" Bananas puffed up with aggravation, looking slightly offended!

"What's wrong?" Toaster looked toward the kitten with curiosity. Bananas approached Toaster with determination, and stood on her hinds before asking an odd question: "Toaster! Toaster! Could you hold me please? I want to be held!"

"Erm...okay? Give me a second..." Toaster placed the new family member on the ground before picking up the kitten.

"NER?! MAAAAAH!" The Cabbit seemed shocked for a few seconds, before re-approaching Toaster, and patting the Gem's leg with her paw. "MAAAW!" The creature looked upset, as Bananas glared at the new animal with a smug look on her kitty face.

Feeling terrible, Toaster rearranged herself, before picking up the Cabbit again. The Gem was now slightly overwhelmed- a kitten in one hand and a Cabbit in the other. "OOMPH! So much fluff! Too much..." Toaster handed the Cabbit to Acapella and kept a hold on Bananas.

"MYAA!" The Cabbit seemed most upset again as she glared at the cat with jealousy.

Acapella attempted to change the subject. "So what are you going to name it Gamma?" The Pearl handed the animal back over to its new owner. Gamma looked over the adorable animal- attempting to see if it had any distinguishing marks...

"Meee-nerf!" The animal smiled!

"Hmmm...how about...Marshmallow! Because she's so fluffy!"

The two Gems nodded in agreement! "It suits her! What an adorable Cabbit!" Acapella clapped her hands with joy!

"MYAAA!" The new pet cheered in agreement!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off: a big thank you goes out to author MaydayMarbear for providing Gamma his Birthday! (May the 4th be with you!)
> 
> Next: another thank you for readers: Blue_Pearl, the-guy-who-asks, and The_Lampman for continuing to support this story!
> 
> ...and last: I'm actually NOT a big fan of Tenchi Muyo...like...AT ALL. (I don't like fanservice in my anime).
> 
> ...but DASH IT ALL if Cabbits aren't the most ADORABLE alien pets I have EVER seen in the history of science fiction!
> 
> XD


	26. Cats and Rabbits

"DAWWWW!"

"Look at her go!"

As the day continued, Toaster, Gamma, and Acapella seemed more than happy with their new pet! Marshmallow was hopping from family member to family member in a fit of excitement!

"MYAA! NEWPH! OOMPH!" The small creature tripped over one of her oversized ears, and ended up falling down.

"DAAWWWW!" The aliens cooed the Cabbit in unison!

"OH! Marshmallow! You fell overs..." Toaster picked up the animal, and pet her in support.

"MAAAA!" The small creature seemed grateful and happy with the gesture!

Bananas on the other hand...  
"HUFF-MERF!" The kitten was staring at the corner of the wall- hunched over, ears flat, and her tail wagging in aggravation! "HUFF!" The Diamond was baffled! Why was everyone making SUCH a big deal out of this..."Cabbit"?! The small creature didn't seem so great to HER! The feline decided to pipe up: "You know...you three wouldn't be so joyous if you knew what that idiotic thing was ACTUALLY saying about you..."

"Huh? Whatdoya' mean Bananas?" Toaster seemed confused. "...what's Marshmallow saying?"

"OH! You should hear her! It's ABSOLUTELY obscene! She keeps talking about how much smarter she is, how this house SUCKS, and how much she HATES the lot of you!"

"MYAAAAA?!" Marshmallow seemed shocked at this accusation! She displayed a face of betrayal and disappointment to the kitten.

"See? See THERE?!" Bananas beckoned toward the Cabbit. "She's manipulating you with her cute! She's actually saying AWFUL things!"

"Is...is that true Marshmallow?! Do you hate Toaster?" The Ruby seemed upset.

"NEEERO!" the Cabbit shook her head in disbelief, before hugging the Gem while crying.

"YELLOW DIAMOND!" Gamma was steamed! "What a cruel lie! Look how much you upset everyone!"

"IT'S NOT A LIE!" The kitten shouted in retaliation! "That animal is MEAN! You should send her back, and make ME some pancakes instead!"

"Pancakes?"

"YUS!" The kitten nodded. "I'm hungry...AND cute! See?!" The kitten rolled over on to her back and flailed back and forth with her eyes dilated...looking as cute as humanly possible.

"UGH. It's so obvious..." Acapella was not amused in the slightest. The monstrous Diamond she had once been SO afraid of, had stooped to the lowest bar possible.

Toaster put her hands on her hips. "Bananas! Are you jealous of Marshmallow?! Are you telling fibs to get her in trouble?!"

"WHA?! Why are you accusing ME of wrongdoing?!" The kitten looked appalled. "I'm surprised at you Toaster! How long have you known me?"

The Ruby stared at the Diamond- unamused. "6,030 years."

"-INDEED! You could say you know ME, MUCH better than this...CREATURE that hatched literally four hours ago, yes?"

"Yeh."

"Certainly!" the cat nodded. "You've known me MUCH longer! Would I lie to you about such things as the speech of this...IDIOTIC Cabbit?"

"Yeh. Yeh...you WOULD."

"MURRFF!" the feline grunted in shock, before lowering her head in shame.

Gamma butted in: "Jeez Yellow Diamond...this is a low blow, even for YOU. Becoming jealous over a baby Cabbit..."

"HUFF..." the feline pouted and sulked.

\----------------

As bedtime arrived, a new problem reared its ugly head. It seemed Marshmallow was quite fond of Toaster, and had imprinted on her after hatching. The tiny Cabbit followed the Gem into her bedroom- hopping along with endless bliss!

Toaster smiled at the bunny-like creature. "OH! Marshmallow! You want to sleep in here? You're Gamma's present! Wouldn't you want to sleep in HIS room?"

"MYAAA!" The baby Cabbit jumped as high as she could, and struggled to the top of the mattress. "NAAA!"

"Well...If this is where you want to sleeps, I don't mind!"

Several seconds later, Bananas entered the Ruby's bedroom as well. This was her typical napping spot. She normally slept under the bed, because The area around Toaster was warm...

"NYAAAA!"

The yellow kitten poofed in surprise as the invading Cabbit smiled at her from above!

"NYAAPH!"

"TOASTER! What is that...THING doing on your bed?!" The kitten was appalled!

Toaster shrugged. "Marshmallow wants to sleep on the mattress..."

"WELL! If MARSHMALLOW wants to sleep on the mattress, I do TOO! Toaster! Pick me up!"

The Ruby rolled her eyes, before lifting the kitten to the foot of the mattress.

"MYAA!" The Cabbit gasped in surprise!

Bananas gave the new pet a smug look. Marshmallow responded with a glare.

Completely oblivious, Toaster tucked herself into the bed. "WELP! Night Marshmallow! Night Bananas!" The Gem turned off her nightlight and began to snooze...

It was a good thing that both animals were at the foot of the bed. The duo had entered a staring contest- giving each other the look of death!

"MRRRRRRRRRR..." Bananas projected her normal growl of anger.

"NRRRRRRRRRR..." Marshmallow responded with an angry howl of her own.

"HISSSS!" The duo began to puff in anger- attempting to look as big as possible.

Annoyed, Toaster looked at the foot of her bed in fatigue. The two animals were making quite a ruckus! "HEY! HEY! Be quiets! I can't sleeps..."

The duo stopped their fight, and settled slightly as Toaster glared at them. Both Bananas and Marshmallow smiled- putting on airs.

"Mmmmph...good." Toaster attempted to fall asleep again...

...

"MRRRRRRR..."

"NRRRRRRR..."

"ALRIGHTS! THAT DOES IT! OUT! BOTH OF YOU! Toaster needs sleeps!" The annoyed Ruby picked up one animal under each arm and placed the two into the hall. "NOW! Neither of you sleeps in here until you learn to get along! GOOD NIGHT!"

"BAM!" Toaster slammed the door to her bedroom in a huff!

...

There was a brief pause. Perhaps the Ruby would let them back in?

...

...perhaps not.

Bananas looked frustrated. "Well, this is just...PERFECT. How am I supposed to find a warm place to sleep NOW?! This is all YOUR fault YOU know!" As the cat turned toward Marshmallow, the Cabbit displayed a smug grin! "What the-?! What are YOU so happy about?!"

"Nya!" Marshmallow stuck out her tongue in spite, and simply began to walk through Toaster's bedroom door- as if the door wasn't there at all!

"WHAT THE STARS?!" The kitten gasped in panic as the Cabbit walked back into Toaster's room- just like a ghost!

"MRRRR!" The kitten howled in surprise and distress as she scratched on the door!

Apparently, no one had informed the previous Diamond that Cabbits could easily walk through solid walls- if they desired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Step 1: The Toonfreak decides to do some extra research on Cabbits.
> 
> Step 2: The Toonfreak watches the first episode that featured a Cabbit.
> 
> Step 3: The Toonfreak sees a Cabbit casually walk through a window...
> 
> Step 4: Toonfreak:...! WHAT THE $%&#?! O,o
> 
> ...and that's how this chapter came to be! LOL! XD
> 
> (Seriously...I had NO CLUE they could do that! My reaction was the same as Bananas...)


	27. Grateful

The next morning, Toaster woke up to quite a surprise! It seemed that Marshmallow had found a way back onto her mattress! The small creature was asleep at the foot of the bed again.

"What the-?! Marshmallow! How'd you get back in? I put you in the hall..."

The Cabbit yawned, before smacking her lips in fatigue. "Nyaa? Merr?" The animal began to snooze again.

Toaster was left incredibly confused. The little Ruby climbed out of bed, and wandered down the staircase to see if she could find where Bananas had gone...

\----------------

The kitten was asleep in the very corner of the downstairs couch. She had curled herself into the tiniest ball of fur, and was shivering slightly. It was obvious that the creature was attempting to stay as warm as she could using the pathetic folds of the couch as a "blanket".  
Toaster felt immediate guilt for forcing Bananas from her room. She pet the baby cat several times to warm her up, as the creature finally stopped shivering and began to sleep.

\----------------

As the morning continued, it seemed that Bananas had become much less hostile...NOT because of a change of heart, but because she was incredibly exhausted from lack of sleep. In the short amount of time she WAS awake, she kindly asked Toaster to bring her (and some food) over to Lilly's part of the property. The Ruby obliged, still feeling guilty.

Honestly, Bananas needed some time away from the new addition of the family...as well as a nice friend and a quiet place to nap.

Lilly wagged her tail with excitement as the Ruby placed the tiny kitten into the building. Toaster left quickly, but it was obvious that the corrupted Gem was happy to have some company! "NANA! YOU CAME TO VISIT! LILLY EXCITED AND HAPPY!"

The kitten nodded with fatigue. "I'm glad someone is happy to see me..."

Lilly tilted her head in confusion at the statement. "LILLY IS ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN NANA IS AROUND..."

Bananas forced a smile. "If you don't mind Lilly, I desperately need some sleep..."

"OH!" The massive Gem monster nodded. "NAPS!"

"That's right."

"OK!" Lilly occupied herself with a massive stick she had found in the yard. She chewed upon the thing, as Bananas curled up next to the monster's warm fur and began to doze.

\-----------------

The kitten awoke several hours later. It seemed Lilly had decided to nap as well. She wasn't snoring- per say, but was breathing heavily enough for the sound to be noticeable. Bananas stretched and yawned, before walking over to the can Toaster had left behind, and eating some tuna. The kitten smacked her lips with fatigue, before walking back over to her sleepy friend. She lied down and closed her eyes again. Lilly might have smelled...more OFFENSIVE than the rest of her family, but at LEAST she cared about the kitten. Bananas was incredibly bitter, and felt "alone" and "forgotten" by the remainder of her family. If they loved that stupid Cabbit more than her...well...FINE! She would stay here with Lilly where she knew she was appreciated!

\----------------

Meanwhile, the inside of the main house was bustling with life! Acapella was making pancakes. Marshmallow was nibbling on a carrot that had been provided on the floor. Gamma called his parents using the computer, thanked them for the gift, and immediately apologized! (He had forgotten about time zones, and had woken the duo up in the middle of the night.)

".:YAWN!:. Oh! Yes! Happy belated Birthday Gamma!" Atmomo attempted to keep his eyes open.

Gamma felt incredibly guilty. "Sorry again for calling so late...I keep forgetting how different Pekopon is from Keron..."

Prolulu jumped into the conversation: "That's quite alright dear! You know, now that you have been pardoned after that entire trial mess, you COULD go back to Keron and visit your old platoon and neighbors! I'm sure they would love hearing from you! It would take no time at all to get there if you used the Cabbit's ship form..."

Gamma jolted in surprise! He hadn't even thought about such things! After all, space travel was pretty impossible for him and his new family up to this point... "Hmmm...perhaps? I wonder if they would allow Toaster and Acapella onto the surface? Man! This feels...WEIRD. Technically, we could ALL go back to Keron and live together in our original house again...if we wanted to! Just a couple of months ago, the idea would have been completely out of the question!"

Both of the parents nodded. "Indeed we could dear!" Prolulu piped up again: "Although, I must admit...I HAVE grown quite fond of this planet! It's nice to have such a diverse community of aliens- happy and working together! It's much more progressive here than it ever was on Keron..."

Gamma nodded in agreement. He was also no longer terribly fond of the entire "inslaving Pekopons" ideology his planet was known for. He had made many friends here, and preferred them to be happy and free...

...plus, not ONE person on this planet had made fun of his REAL name either. He could still hear the taunts of laughter bullying him from the ghosts of the past! The frog shivered the memories away unconsciously. "Perhaps we could just test Marshmallow's ship form first? You know...when the time comes..."

Gamma's parents nodded. The Cabbit HAD just hatched yesterday after all! It was better to let her mature into an adult before trying her ship form.

Gamma smiled! "Anyway, thanks again! I'll let you two go back to sleep!"

"We love you!" The parents waved pleasantly!

"Love you guys too!" Gamma blushed slightly, before the call hung up.

Of course, Toaster and Acapella had overheard the entire conversation.

"GAMMA! GAMMA! ARE WE GOING TO SEE KERON?!" Toaster wiggled with excitement!

"Erm...uh...not today Toaster." The frog sweated slightly as the Ruby's excited face transformed into a frown.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry Toaster. Marshmallow has to grow into an ADULT Cabbit before we try anything THAT intense. She just hatched yesterday! It will be some time before she can transform into a spaceship...she's still a baby!"

"OH!" Toaster nodded. That made sense! Still, the little Gem was excited with the notion that space travel was a very realistic possibility in the distant future! She couldn't help but feel incredibly enthusiastic!

Acapella seemed- not excited at the notion, but thoughtful! She had read MANY books about neighboring planets, but had never had a chance to visit any of them! She would love to see the various cultures she had read about in books!

\----------------

Several hours later, Bananas was not only fully awake, but ranting. "I mean, Cabbits can barely DO anything! They just hop around making squeaky noises! They can't talk, they trip over themselves CONSTANTLY...where is the appeal?!"

Lilly looked into the distance for several seconds-thinking deeply. "HHMMMM...IS MALLOW FUZZY PUFF?"

"She has fur...if THAT'S what you mean..."

"MALLOW BIG?"

"Of COURSE not! She's a baby!"

"HMMM...MALLOW DISTROY BANISTER?"

"WHAT?! NO!"

"MMMPH..." Lilly nodded in agreement with herself. "MALLOW NOT BIG AND DESTRUCTIVE LIKE LILLY...MALLOW IS GOOD FRIEND TO TOAST AND OTHERS." The corrupted beast sighed sadly, before laying her head down in a depression.

Bananas seemed confused. "Where did THAT comment come from?!"

Lilly looked at the kitten sadly. "NANA IS LUCKY! NANA IS SMALL! EVERYONE LIKES NANA! NO ONE LIKES LILLY...TOO BIG. LILLY IS BAD. CAN'T EVEN STAY IN HOUSE...ALWAYS LONELY."

The kitten seemed shocked at this response! Did Lilly always feel this way? Did she feel...alone? Bananas supposed she had been visiting her less as of recent. The kitten piped up: "That's NOT true Lilly! The reason WHY the family built you this room, is BECAUSE they love you! They always want you close by! If they didn't like you, they wouldn't have bothered making this safe den!" Banana's nodded.

Lilly wagged her tail and smiled! "REALLY NANA?!"

"YES! Of course!"

"THAN...THAN...FAMILY LIKES NANA TOO! EVEN WITH MALLOW!"

"How...how can you be so sure?"

"LOOK! LOOK!" The corrupted Gem pointed to the tuna can. "TOAST LEFT FOOD SO NANA WON'T BE HUNGRY!" The creature nodded. "TOAST CARES ABOUT NANA!"

Bananas hadn't even thought about how Lilly felt throughout this entire conversation. Perhaps the massive Gem monster felt similarly about Bananas, as she, herself, felt about Marshmallow! The cat nodded with agreement!

With the kitten feeling a lot better (if not a smidge bit guilty), she decided to spend the remainder of the day with Lilly. Her friend deserved some much needed attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo...who's excited for the new SU episodes next week!? I AM! WHOOO!
> 
> ...
> 
> ...Anywhos, I have a serious question for my awesome readers of awesomeness! I DID originally have a 4th major arc planned for Aliens With Trapper Hats! It was going to be a bit more dark and action-packed than the previous three segments. (I'm sure I would fit lots of funny in there too...I can't write a story WITHOUT it after all!)
> 
> So my question for you guys is THIS: Would you prefer me to continue more fluffy chapters (as I have been doing), OR would you like me to lean more toward the plot heavy action-y stuff? Honestly- this story could go either way at this point. I set the plot up so that it would be flexible for both scenarios. Either way, I would like to see what canon the new SU episodes have to offer before writing the next part of the story...so the next chapter will (probably) not be written or put up until after the week-long Steven Bomb is over....
> 
> ...the characters have been introduced...the stage has been set...
> 
> It's your call guys...
> 
> MWA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
> 
> >:)


	28. Chaos

They were scum. They were ALL scum.

While most of the galaxy was either angry or mute at the fact that Humans were now a part of the Galactic Council- there were certain groups of creatures who were enraged beyond all belief.

Rules had been created by the Galactic Council- controversial rules, that specifically excluded chosen species from joining. According to the Council: animalistic and parasitic species were not allowed to join nor vote in the government.

The alien law was...very broad. Underneath this rule: Angels, Xenomorphs, Parasytes, Clovers, Cabbits, Body Snatchers, CJ7's, Arachnids, and many others, were not allowed into the Council- due to their lack of intelligence or overly aggressive natures. The reason why SO many aliens in the Galactic Council were upset about including Humanity, was simple: Humans, themselves, had originally been included on this "parasitic/ pet" list of the law.

...and why shouldn't they be?!? Humans were purposely polluting their own planet on a daily basis! Humans would immediately shoot and attack anything they didn't understand! The creatures seemed to be BOTH parasitic AND idiotic!

So when Humanity was added as an intellectual, worthy species- it not only upset many of the racist creatures that were part of the government- but also many of the aliens that were NOT allowed to join the court in the first place.

There was anger and hatred spreading across the cosmos.

Odd alliances began to form.

...and just like that, multiple racist aliens began to work together to make their own anti-Human groups and clubs. Species decided the only way to fix the Council's decision was to kill the scum. If there were none left, the universe would balance itself out...things would be better...

\----------------

It was about a week later when the incident occurred.

The Crystal Gems called the house in hopes that Bananas could act as a translator during one of their missions again. The kitten agreed immediately, and soon found herself in Steven's burger backpack once more!

Bananas' fluffy face looked about in curiosity as the group warped near a (surprisingly) large human populated area.

\----------------

"GRUUUFF!" A corrupted Jasper had discovered the wonder of Human dumpsters, and had been caught on multiple occasions- eating garbage and spreading filth everywhere!

The Crystal Gems cornered the beast in an alleyway quickly. Bananas was placed near the creature and began to work her magic. She talked to the corrupted Gem in a calm manner: "You can't eat from Human garbage cans! You'll make yourself sick!"

"GRUMPH...MPH..." The massive Jasper blushed.

"It doesn't matter if it "tastes good"! You can't just go stomping around scaring Humans and eating trash!"

"RRROAAAH..."

"Don't give me that look!" Bananas huffed in frustration!

...and then, without warning...

"AAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" "EEEEEEEEEEEE!" "WHAT THE HELL?!"

From a block down the street there were multiple terrifying Human screams! The Crystal Gems (and even the corrupted Jasper), looked toward the noises in surprise! A stampede began! Humans started running past the Gems in droves!

"What the Stars?!" The renegade Pearl struggled to stand with her family as the massive barrage of humans pushed against each other aggressively. Needless to say, none of the people noticed (or even cared), that there was a Gem monster the size of a fully grown elephant cornered in the alleyway.

Garnet protected Steven the best she could, as the half-Human placed a bubble around himself. Bananas mewed in a frenzy as the Human crowd ran around her!

Finally, the crowd dispersed! Only to reveal...

...a Human?

A single Human stood in the middle of the street at a nearby four-way intersection. At first, the Gems were incredibly confused...but then...

"RRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHH..." the Jasper growled in fear! The corrupted Gem performed a massive series of jumps, and ran off incredibly spooked. The dumpster thief used the rooftops of the urban sprawl as the fastest escape route...destroying a good majority of the buildings in the process!

The Crystal Gems' attention quickly went back to the lone Human- incredibly annoyed and confused.

...and then...an odd shiver! Something...something was not right. The Human was moving lop-sided in an almost zombie-like manner. Their eyes were glazed over. The Human's head twisted unnaturally to the side while staring at the group of Gems.

Pearl was the first to recognize the odd behavior. She screamed in shock, before (instinctively) standing in front of Steven. Garnet gasped, so baffled, that she immediately unfused in a fast barrage of light and panic!

The monster grinned with the creepiest of smiles...

...this "Human" was not a "Human" anymore.

The man's face contorted in the most unnatural way, before his ENTIRE head opened up like a flower made of flesh. The activity exposed dozens of eyeballs, and twenty rows of teeth on each flesh petal. Steven gasped before losing control over his bubble- followed by losing his lunch immediately afterward.

It was an obvious Parasyte- an alien that survived by using larger creatures as a host. The Humanity and personality was long gone from this man's brain...eaten by the alien for nourishment.

Bananas fur stood on end in a panic! The kitten mewed quickly and butted her head against Steven's leg in a desperate attempt to get the boy's attention! Steven jumped in fright, before looking down at the feline, and placing her back in his burger backpack quickly.

The Parasyte cackled in the most terrifying of fashions. "KEH! KEH! You Gems look so shocked to see one of OUR kind here on this planet." The alien immediately morphed the Human's arms into two deadly spikes. "I SAY...if YOU are allowed to live on this...EARTH...WE should also be allowed to live here TOO...YES?!"

Amethyst was more shocked than she had ever looked in her entire life. She had seen corrupted Gems, she had seen hurt Humans, but she had NEVER seen anything like this...NOTHING LIKE THIS.

Ruby was on the ground, backing up in a complete panic- "IS? IS THAT-?"

"-A PARASYTE!" Sapphire answered automatically.

Pearl turned to Amethyst discreetly, before whispering: "(Amethyst...your whips...wrap it up...quickly now...)"

The Purple Gem shook herself out of shock before grabbing two whips from her gemstone, and snapping them with intimidation!

"SCREEEEEEEEECH!" The monster let out the most terrifying of sounds, before charging at maximum speed- blade arms swinging with the intent to maim!

One of the blades hit Ruby- completely dissipating her form in the process. Sapphire picked up her partner's gemstone quickly, and created a small wall of ice- preventing (not only) the creature from hurting herself, but also freezing one of the alien's limbs into place!

The Parasyte howled in aggravation- tugging on its own arm- desperately attempting to free itself!

Amethyst side stepped as quickly as she could, and snapped her whips again -around the creature this time. She created more whips, and repeated the process over and over...making sure the monster could not escape. Steven immediately bubbled the monster afterword, shivering in absolute fear.

The alien howled in its spherical prison- struggling to break free! The Crystal Gems had no clue WHAT to do with the thing! It was NOT a human...but it WAS. It could not be poofed- nor would the whips and bubble hold it for long.

Bananas popped her head out of the backpack again, and stared at the thing in terror! "A-a Parasyte! What the stars is a Parasyte doing HERE?!" Yellow Diamond was no fool! She knew the violent beast meant nothing but carnage and fear to any planet it landed upon.

Steven began to cry! "W-what is that?! Pearl! What do we do with it?! I-it's a Human...right? We need to save him!"

Pearl looked at her son with hopeless eyes. What was she supposed to tell him? Transforming a Parasyte back into a Human was about as likely as turning a Zombie back into a living person...

\----------------

The Parasyte was now locked in an unbreakable chamber at the MIB headquarters. The creature was pacing back and forth-mumbling obscenities to himself. His over-long blade-arms and flower-flesh face were still exposed. The creature was not strong enough to break free of the chamber...

Zed and the Gems stared at the thing in absolute terror! The MIB leader decided to pipe up: "How?! Where?"

"The middle of a highly populated human city...in broad daylight too." Garnet had reformed and responded to the man's inquiries.

"Were...were there more?!"

"Didn't see any, but there are ALWAYS more."

"DAMMIT!" The man looked incredibly frustrated before facing the creature. He put a two-way microphone up to his mouth that led to the cell: "HEY! HEY YOU!"

The Parasyte stopped pacing, and looked at the human- slightly disgusted and slightly hungry.

Zed continued: "How many of you have landed here?!"

The creature closed its flower, and used the original Human's mouth to smile again.

"WELL!? ANSWER ME!"

"Wouldn't YOU like to know?!"

Zed began to curse. "This...this does not bode well..."

Steven was not only, sad, confused, and conflicted...but also slightly intrigued! He had never seen the inside of the MIB headquarters before! Connie had attempted to describe it in detail, but it was a COMPLETELY different experience actually BEING here! Bananas was also surprised! She had only seen the building from the inside of a cat carrier.

Zed noted Toaster's kitten sticking her head out of the burger. "Erm...why do you guys have that...CAT in your possession? Isn't that Toaster's pet?"

The Gems suddenly stood up straight- sweating, and looking incredibly guilty.

"Hmmmm..." Zed examined the feline carefully, before spotting the translation collar. The man glared at the group with concern. "So...you KNOW then?"

"Bananas has been helping us translate corrupted Gem speech." Pearl attempted to make the situation less awkward, and more positive.

"Has she now?" Zed looked at the cat before nodding to himself. "Yellow Diamond..."

The kitten turned to the man in fright, her fur sticking straight up in shock again! Through all this excitement, it seemed her cover had been blown! "(oh stars...)" the baby animal quickly hid her entire self into the backpack.

Zed shook his head in frustration. "Well, this is just...GREAT. We're going to have to remove that collar and transfer you again now-"

"-WHAT?! NO! Nooo..." The small kitten wailed from the inside of the backpack. She didn't WANT to be transferred! Her FRIENDS! Her new FAMILY! She was even willing to deal with Marshmallow if she HAD to...

The MIB agent sighed. "Everyone knows your identification now Yellow. It's too dangerous...ESPECIALLY if there are Parasytes in the area! I promised your sister your safety..."

"MEEENNNNOOOO!" The kitten released a wail that sounded like a mixture between a "meow" and a "no". "Let me talk to my sister! Let me talk to Blue!"

Zed sighed. "Well-"

"WHAM!"

The man never got to finish his sentence. One of the main MIB doors slammed open in (what appeared to be), a miniature scuffle! The group looked toward the din in shock- attempting to process what the stars was going on! From a distance, it looked like a flying Human was madly wrestling with a rhino! The flying human began to shout: "ZED! ZED! OPEN A CELL! NOW!"

The Humanoid didn't have to ask twice. The MIB agent opened the cell directly across from the Parasyte quickly, as the aggressive rhino was tossed inside with such a force; that the animal slammed against the wall and knocked itself out cold!

"WHAT THE?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS CLARK?!" Zed was obviously NOT amused by the sudden ruckus! The Kryptonian casually tossed Zed a horrific looking creature that resembled a massive horseshoe crab. The Human reeled in disgust!

"There was a dead one found in EVERY cage at the local zoo. I'm going back to retrieve the remainder of the animals before they hatch." The Kryptonian had the most serious look about him.

"The...the HELL IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?!? IS THAT A XENOMORPH?!"

Clark nodded before flying out the door once again- probably to return to the zoo, and wrestle the next big animal into the building. Zed suddenly looked incredibly flustered.

"Erm...should we leave? I feel like we should leave..." Amethyst had no clue WHY that man was flying, NOR what a Xenomorph was...but by the looks on everyone's faces, this dead horseshoe crab was bad news.

"ZED! ZED!" Lucky ran toward the man in a panic. "OH!" The Yellow Pearl took pause to acknowledge her unexpected crowd of friends, before remembering her original panic! "OH! ZED! There's an important call for you from one of our Japanese branches!"

"Which ONE Lucky?" Zed gritted his teeth in frustration.

"OH! OH! SORRY! It's...erm...Nerv sir! They are having difficulties with Kaijus..."

"They're ALWAYS having problems with Kaijus! Just tell them to enter the underground bunkers!"

"But...but...Gendo Ikari himself is on the line already..."

"OH FOR CRIPES SAKE..."

This back and forth conversation was immediately followed by the Kryptonian flying back into the building with two incredibly pissed off alligators. "ZED! CAGE!"

Zed quickly opened the cell next to the one holding the rhino, as the two reptiles were tossed in. The Kryptonian flew back out of the building in a hurry!

Steven's head was spinning. Connie never mentioned this place being so...chaotic? All this weird stuff was just happening SO FAST...the poor half-Human couldn't wrap his mind around any of it! Kaijus? Flying Humans? Another Yellow Pearl? What was Nerv? The boy found himself with MUCH more questions than answers...

"LUCKY! Stay here and help Clark cage the animals! I'll go take the call. I have NO CLUE why all this stuff is happening at the same time...but stay attentive-alright?"

The Yellow Pearl nodded in the most serious of manners, before the agent walked quickly to his office- cursing and mumbling the entire way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo....I guess you guys wanted drama, and plot driven content? It seemed to win the vote by a landslide!
> 
> (evil laughter)  
> Welp- Pandora's box has been opened...
> 
> ...welcome to the Chaos Arc.
> 
> This is a part of the story that has been stuck in my head for some time now....prepare yourselves! Things are about to get crazy over here...
> 
> >:)


	29. Chaos Control

The next hour was complete anarchy!

The "Clark" alien finally managed to get all of the animals into the glass MIB cells. The diversity ranged greatly- from rabbits to elephants. Garnet and Pearl were insistent that they "Explore the next floor down.", attempting to stay lighthearted for the sake of Steven. The half human looked back at the massive animals in cages before being beckoned to a nearby staircase. Pearl attempted to smile throughout the entire ordeal- but her expression came across as off-putting...like someone who had a stomachache. Approximately 15 minutes later- she was quite insistent on covering Steven's ears.

Steven obliged knowing Pearl was probably more knowledgeable about these things than he. Sound blocked, the half-human watched in absolute terror as his family winced, and immediately grimaced. Amethyst's eyes became large before looking toward the floor they had just come from. Pearl instructed that the purple Gem should NOT go back into the containment area.

"You'll regret it Amethyst..."

Unfortunately, the quartz was stubborn. Amethyst ignored Pearl's warning, and re-entered the staircase to see what the devil had just happened. The sound she had heard was nearly indescribable...like a unified bray of animal noises- immediately followed by popping and snapping sounds, and then: an un-Earthly, foreign, screech!

...

The purple Gem returned from the cell floor several minutes later, her face was as pale as a ghost! She could honestly say she knew what a Xenomorph was now...although she kind of wished she had listened to Pearl and stayed blissfully ignorant.

"Are you ok Amethyst? What was THAT all about? Pearl?!" Steven looked around the room-incredibly worried and confused. Pearl shook her head in silence. Amethyst simply latched onto Steven; hugging him while shivering horribly. The boy was baffled, but figured it would be better to drop the subject.

\----------------

Meanwhile, Zed was on the phone with several Agents of Nerv. Apparently, there was an Angel AND a Ghidorah attacking separate parts of Japan at the SAME time!

Zed suggested they call the (more local) "Science Patrol". The MIB was not equipped to fight Kaijus. The answer he received was disheartening. The "Science Patrol" had already been called...as well as the "Hero Association", and the "Ministry of Science". The lines were down for all of them. Mothera was gone...Ultraman had been defeated...Nerv had called the MIB out of desperation.

Shocked by this news, Zed was going to suggest calling a more local branch; when the screen suddenly turned to static, and the line was cut. The MIB agent attempted to call back in a massive panic, but every attempt resulted in a robotic voice stating that Nerv's "Line was down", and to: "Try again later".

Zed left his office to try to clear his mind. Unfortunately, his wandering led him back into the massive containment area.  
Where an entire zoo worth of animals had once stood, there was now only red, and a MASIVE amount of different sized Xenomorphs. The group of gray, long tailed, oblong-headed aliens hissed at the Human in warning as he approached the cages.

The scene made the man jump! Absolutely terrifying! The agent immediately thanked whatever higher power existed, that the very last Kryptonian had made Earth his home...and that the MIB cells were acid-proof and had no vents.

Zed quickly remembered the fact that Yellow Diamond's punishment was now completely exposed! Cursing to himself again, the man began to search the building for the "Gem friends", that had seemingly brought all of this bad luck upon his branch in the first place...

\----------------

It took some time, but Bananas FINALLY got her phone call to Blue Diamond. The kitten was insistent once Zed relocated her party. The Human couldn't say he blamed her. The building now held a Parasyte and approximately Forty Xenomorphs...AND THOSE were just the invasive aliens they had CAUGHT.

The kitten kindly asked for privacy as the line began to connect. Both Zed and the Gems seemed annoyed, but nodded and complied.

The line connected. The screen displayed Blue Pearl. "Um...hello. This is the...the...Diamond line?" Despite the fact that Blue Pearl had hair covering her eyes, the sight of the Earth kitten confused her greatly! "wh-what the stars?!"

"Who is it my Pearl?" Blue Diamond's voice could be heard from the background.

"erm...I'm not sure. It seems to be a...Thubanian?" The Pearl attempted to guess the species.

"Oh! Give it here Pearl!" The Diamond moved the camera toward herself in excitement! She was smiling, and excused Blue Pearl from her chambers for more privacy. "Yellow! My dear sister! Is that you?! You're looking well! I'm surprised they let you call me..."

"I'm glad they did!"

Blue Diamond jumped with surprise! "OH! OH YELLOW! You got your voice back! How...?"

"Translation collar..." The kitten looked at her neck awkwardly.

"Oh! I see!" Blue Diamond nodded. "So how are you doing Yellow?"

"I'm not going to lie Blue...I'm in...a bit of a fix."

Blue sighed. "What did you do now Yellow?"

"WHA?! NOTHING!" The kitten hissed! "The MIB wants to transfer me...just because I got my speech back!"

"They...do? Well than, what's the problem? You are still serving your sentence Yellow...certainly ONE Earth household is just as good as the next?"

Bananas drooped her head and blushed in embarrassment. "You...you wouldn't understand Blue...I-I have to stay with my current caretakers."

Blue seemed confused. She tilted her head in bafflement. "Why?"

"They...they need me. They need me to protect them. Blue...a Parasyte was found on this planet today."

"A PARASYTE?!" The leader was horrified!

The kitten nodded. "-and a whole herd of Xenomorphs."

"OH MY STARS! Yellow, I'm going to have to INSIST on talking to Zed if that's the case! NO sister of mine is going to be left on a planet invaded by such...MONSTROSITIES!"

"NO!"

"What?"

"MMMEEOONNOOOO!" The kitten howled in protest! "MMMMEEEOOOONNNOOO!"

"YELLOW! What has gotten into you?! I'm your sister for stars sake! I am NOT losing another loved one!"

"NOR AM I!" The cat was clearly upset! "Blue! Blue! You must listen! So much has happened while I've been on Earth! I have discovered "love", and "empathy"! I have grown attached to the creatures that take care of me! I don't want any harm to come to them..."

Enraged, Blue Diamond began to fume in aggression! "I am NOT going to let you stay on that FRACKING planet! Your life is worth FAR greater than some disgusting organics'!"

"I have made up my mind already Blue. I know this to be terribly...taboo and (frankly), unexpected...but I have come to love these creatures almost as much as I love you. If you don't wish to help me, that's fine...but you are safe, and they are not. I would never forgive myself if I didn't at least TRY to help them..."

"Than...than...let's put your organic friends in Pink's zoo! Everyone will be safe then!"

Bananas chuckled to herself. "Unless we have enough room in the zoo for 7.6 Billion Humans, I'm afraid that's not an option."

Blue began to cry in desperation! "Yellow...why?"

"Because, it is the right thing to do...to help others- even if they are smelly, horrendous things!"

"Yellow...I don't want you getting hurt..."

"Than HELP me dear sister! Give me my powers back!"

"It's not that simple Yellow. I-I don't have the authority. The Keronians currently have possession of your powers. You would have to convince THEM...not ME."

Yellow cursed to herself. "Is there anyway you can transfer me through to their ambassador? This is a time sensitive situation, and I don't have their contact information..."

"Couldn't the MIB Do it for you?"

"I...suppose, however, I rather this conversation stay private. Zed has NO CLUE what we're talking about. I would like to keep it that way." The kitten nodded.

Blue sighed. "FINE. I swear...you have always been so stubborn Yellow..."

"One more thing before you transfer me..."

"-WHAT?"

"If...if anything happens to me....I DO NOT want you blaming the Humans, Keronians, OR yourself! This is MY decision, and MY decision alone!" The kitten nodded. "I...I love you Blue! I will try to call as frequently as I can from now on."

Blue Diamond said nothing, but nodded in understanding as she began to weep. She pressed a button in her chambers, and the call was immediately transferred to Keron.

The kitten waited for someone to pick up the line...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Toonfreak here again! I just wanted to let you know that I won't have a spelling software for the next two weeks....so if my posts include horrible spelling mistakes (or if there are no posts at all), you'll know why!
> 
> I'm SUPER curious what you guys think of this new arc so far! This one has been difficult to write- I'm completely out of my element here. Does it sound...OK? At least? I didn't get a lot of feedback on the last chapter, so I have NO CLUE if my writing is going in the right direction...or...not?...LOL!
> 
> Also, Toaster's real Birthday is coming up! (July 8th!)
> 
> Happy early Birthday to you Toaster! XD (Toaster's birthday is the same as my Dad's...so if you ever wondered why I picked THAT day specifically....YUP! THERE 'YA GO! Soooo....Happy early Birthday to my Dad too!).
> 
> A cookie to anyone who can spot all the Easter Eggs I put in this chapter....there are A LOT of them! Even the title is an Easter Egg....  
> ^_^


	30. Call of Doomy

It only took a few seconds before Corfifi picked up the line. The frog answered pleasantly enough: "Hello! this is Corfifi! Ambassador to Keron foreign affairs-" The Keronian paused with shock, before displaying the most unamused glare at the kitten. "OH. It's YOU."

Bananas gulped with nervousness. She had NO clue how to begin this conversation. This was a woman she had threatened on multiple occasions. She was after a favor, and had no redeeming qualities or impressions on the frog. "Erm...hello ambassador. I'm glad to see you're doing...well?"

The Keronian jumped in surprise! "What the?! How are you able to speak you TOAD?! We disabled your voice!"

"Translation collar." The kitten shuffled her paw and flipped the collar in a circle around her neck several times.

There was a pause of annoyance, before Corfifi continued: "What do you WANT Diamond? Haven't you caused enough trouble for us already?!"

Bananas blushed, and drooped her head in shame. "Actually...I'm calling with a terribly...desperate request..."

"PHHHHPH!" The frog scoffed at the cat. "If you want to shorten your sentence-DIAMOND- the idea is OUT of the question!"

"No...no...I wasn't going to ask THAT...I...I know that my previous behavior has been...horrendous..."

The Keronian was, admittedly, surprised by this comment!

The Diamond continued: "I...I would like my powers back."

"OH! I see! Let me think...hmmmmmm...NO." The "no" was dictated insultingly fast.

Frustrated, the kitten crinkled her nose. "NOW SEE HERE! My current caretakers are the Keronian and Ruby from the trial we BOTH attended! They are in incredible danger! I...HATE to admit such things, but I have grown quite fond of them! Today, a Parasyte and several Xenomorphs were captured here on Earth! Something odd is going down on this planet, and...I wish to protect my new family!"

"That is the biggest load of carp I have EVER heard! How the stars am I even supposed to react to that? Almost everything that has spewed out of your mouth in the past has been a rude or violent lie! For all I know, you just want your powers back to go on a complete rampage, and destroy everything on Pekopon!"

The kitten seemed disappointed, and thought about how she could compromise with the frog. "What- what if you kept MOST of my powers, and just gave me back enough to help my new family. I will stay a kitten...no electricity, no size changes."

This answer...BAFFLED the frog! Why would the horrific leader exclude her two most notable and destructive traits?! ...unless...

Corfifi tilted her head in confusion. "You- you're being serious!"

The cat nodded. "In fact, I would prefer to keep this form. This...kitten husk has actually proven to be...quite useful! It IS small, fragile, and tires easily...but it has also allowed me to talk to corrupted beasts and the fauna that dominate this planet!"

The Keronian was unsure how to respond to this. "You-you WANT to be this...Pekoponian pet?!"

The kitten shrugged. "I mean...not FOREVER of course! ...but for the time being, I've been able to use this skill translate and help different creatures understand each other!"

Corfifi still seemed skeptical.

The feline continued: "Toaster- the Ruby, has read to me and provided me with nourishment. She likes taking care of sick and homeless Earth fauna in her spare time. The slime-erm...I mean...the Keronian, Gumma...?"

"Gamma?"

The kitten nodded in agreement. "Gamma does local charity work for the town- The Human pebbles love him to pieces! Even my old Pearl runs a local restaurant...all on her own! I will admit...when they first found out who I actually was, things were incredibly...awkward. Despite my past and title however, they accepted me as one of their own- even with all the strife I had put them through. Toaster reads Human books to me sometimes...and my old Pearl frequently cooks me special meals! They have just shown me so much affection and empathy. But than...today...a large amount of parasitic aliens began to land on this planet. I-I want to protect them. They have done so much for me. I-I..."

To Corfifi's surprise, the kitten began to mew in distress! IF Yellow Diamond WAS lying, she was doing a damn good job at it! The frog's heart began to melt. Corfifi sighed in defeat. "Could you please let me talk to Zed you..idiotic rock?"

Gasping, tears running down her face, the Diamond nodded, before sniffing, and attempting to wipe the away the sadness. Her attempts were not terribly successful. These were REAL tears...REAL emotions. The kitten jaunted over to the closed door of the room, and began to scratch on it and yowl in desperation!

"Hang on! Hang on! Stop scuffing up to the door to my office!" Slightly annoyed, Zed allowed the kitten to jaunt outside before closing the door behind her.

\----------------

As Bananas sat in the hall, her nerves were completely shot! She could hear discussions and yelling coming from the office. The cat felt a weight of anticipation flood over her, as she continued to cry and pray that the Human and Keronian could come up with an agreeable solution.

\----------------

Thirty minutes later, Zed left his office looking incredibly flustered. To the Diamond's surprise, the MIB agent picked up the kitten, and carried her into an interrogation room with a lie detector. He connected the machine to the tiny cat, before asking a series of odd questions: "Do you care about Toaster's well-being?" Slightly confused as to what was going on, Bananas answered as truthfully as possible:

"Yes."

"Do you consider Gamma a part of your family?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any alternative motives for wanting your powers back?"

"Just to protect my friends."

To the agent's astoundment, the machine claimed that the tiny kitten was telling the truth! Zed looked at the Diamond, quite impressed! The leader really HAD changed over the last few months! The man scratched his chin, thoughtful, before informing Bananas that her and the Crystal Gems would be spending the night in one of the MIB's "hotel rooms" while a compromise was made on her fate.

\----------------

That night, sleep was difficult for the family. A mixture between the horror show the group had witnessed, and the little kitten's life made everyone restless.

\----------------

As morning arrived, Bananas was instructed to enter one of the MIB's testing rooms. The Crystal Gems watched from the outside the chamber with interest.

Zed's voice suddenly bellowed from the intercom: "Yellow Diamond! Due to good behavior and recent circumstances- the United States Government, the Galactic Council, AND the Keronian Embassy of Foreign Affairs have decided to slightly alter your sentence!"

Bananas stood up in enthusiasm! Her tail lifted straight up- indicating that the feline was happy and excited!

Zed continued: "Yellow Diamond! Do you agree to ONLY use your powers to assist Humans and the other peaceful creatures on this planet-Earth?"

"YES! YES! I AGREE!" The little kitten began to jump with glee! It was rather adorable...

"Do you understand that failure to keep this promise will result in a transfer and extreme punishable consequences?"

"Yes." The little kitten nodded.

"Good! Good! Let it be known that this conversation has been recorded and saved for documentation purposes! Bring in the Pearl!"

With the command, several MIB agents assisted Iris into the testing room. The Pearl tipped her head with curiosity. The tiny yellow blob in front of her looked...familiar...

The agents left the room quickly.

Zed give the instruction: "IRIS! Do your thing!"

"LAAAAAAAAA!"

Immediately, all the spectating Crystal Gems passed out on top of one another. Bananas also fell asleep...wishing for a more hopeful tomorrow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO!!! As Bender the robot from Futurama would say: "I'M BACK BABY!"
> 
> While I was gone, FIVE (yes, you read that right) FIVE new AWTH chapters were written!
> 
> Prepare yourself for updates...INDEED!!!
> 
> XD
> 
> Hope you guys like them!


	31. Level Up!

After the kitten fell asleep, a familiar green Keronian entered the testing room with a table littered with foreign blasters and tech. It was the same top scientist that had initiated Yellow Diamond's punishment in the first place.

The frog snapped his gloves on, and immediately began to work. Zed had (apparently) emailed the Galactic Council after speaking to the Keronian ambassador. The three had compromised on a solution. Yellow Diamond would be given 50% of her power back. The rules on how to dictate this change went on for several hours before Keron sent the scientist to Earth.

The frog began to zap the kitten with various tools-but only just. Half of the Diamond's gemstone re-materialized. At the woman's request- she would keep her kitten form. The Keronian removed the translation collar, before picking up the small animal, and following the MIB agents to their outdoor "Rocket and Spacecraft" testing pad.

Here, the scientist continued his work. With the "ZAP!" of another gun, the kitten moaned in her unconscious state. Her digestive track had disappeared-her organic heart stayed the same.

Another "ZAP!" and a VERY small amount of electric discharge danced off one of the kitten's paws. The electrical powers were strong enough to stun- but NOT powerful enough to maim or harm victims.

Finally, the Keronian utilized his last gun to make one final change...

"ZAP!"

The small kitten slowly began to grow at an alarming rate! The size of a dog...a horse...an elephant...

The scientist stopped his procedure at this point. In front of him lay a MASSIVE kitten about the same size as Lilly!

Bananas could now talk to both animals and aliens using the small gemstone piece that had been re-gifted to her. No more translation collars were needed. Her size was still only a fourth of her original height, but was easily still big enough to allow riders and protection. She remained partially organic, and would need sleep- but eating food was now an option rather than a necessity. Her electricity was powerful, but could only be used for defense.

The Keronian nodded to himself, before displaying a thumbs up! Now that the kitten was as big as an elephant, it was obvious that she snored in her sleep! The frog chuckled with amusement!

\----------------

When Bananas woke up, she found herself in (what appeared to be) a small warehouse. The kitten blinked, stretched, and smacked her lips with fatigue. She glanced down at herself...still a kitten! The Diamond was both curious and a bit disappointed at the same time. It seemed NOTHING had changed- that was, until Zed entered the warehouse.

Bananas jumped in surprise SO quickly, she ended up smacking the top of her head against the ceiling! Zed! The Human! He was incredibly SMALL now! What the stars?!

"MRRRRRR!" The kitten moaned as she held her head with her paws! "That...that was painful..."

The MIB agent began to speak from below: "Well! I guess that's ONE way to wake up! Good morning! Are you alright?"

Bananas groaned as she continued to hold her head. "Wha-what is THIS Zed?!"

"Your request!"

"I did NOT ask for a size change!" The cat bellowed! "How am I supposed to fit in Toaster's house NOW?!" Bananas could only recall all the destruction Lilly had caused at this point. The Diamond supposed she could bunk with the corrupted Gem- although she rather enjoyed staying in the house...being able to roam and explore. In the back of her mind, the cat imagined Marshmallow hogging all of Toaster's attention. Her fur bristled at the thought!

Zed chuckled. "You said you wanted to help protect your loved ones...correct? Well, changing your size will assist your goal immensely!"

The massive kitten looked at the floor and thought about this fact...yes. She supposed this was true...

...still...

"MMPH." The Diamond grunted in frustration. She wouldn't be able to sleep under Toaster's bed...or beg Acapella for food scraps any more...  
"OH!" Bananas suddenly realized something! She couldn't ride in the Steven's food backpack anymore either! She would have to WALK EVERYWHERE. Ugh! Manual labor!

Zed seemed a bit disappointed at the Diamond's pessimistic attitude. He was hoping that the extra gift of height would make the creature ecstatic...  
"You seem...upset. I had to pull A LOT of strings to restore your form THIS much..."

The kitten suddenly looked slightly guilty. "NO! NO! Zed! I am incredibly grateful for your service! It's just...I wasn't expecting SO MUCH of my form to be restored at once! I'm just...trying to figure out where I'm going to sleep now. I'm too big to fit in our house anymore..."

The man chuckled. "Well...our records indicate that your family is taking care of a corrupted Amethyst with a large, indoor, space. Perhaps you could bunk with her?"

The kitten nodded. "That's the only conclusion I could come up with too. Even with such a big space, it's going to be a tight fit to get both of us in there...I mean...how am I even supposed to get back to my family? It's not like I can fit in the helicopter now..."

"Well...NO, but with part of your gemstone restored, you can now use Warp Pads again!"

"OH! Thank goodness for that!" The massive feline nodded in agreement. Being able to use Warp Pads on her own again was a godsend! The cat wondered how her friends would react to her new appearance...

\----------------

"AAAAAAAGGGHH!"

Pearl was screaming. Pearl was screaming A LOT. Bananas attempted to hold her ears with her front paws as the renegade freaked out entirely! "OH MY STARS! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TELL TOASTER?! We've only had you on a mission for TWO DAYS...and NOW you're bigger than a house!"

"Do you quite mind?! My ears are still very sensitive!" The kitten complained as she settled on the ground.

Steven looked up at Bananas with excitement! "WOW BANANAS! YOU'RE EVEN BIGGER THAN LION!"

At this comment, the kitten closed her eyes, and smiled in the most smug of manners! Impressing the Human hybrid made her feel very proud of herself! It was a good thing the creature had spent most of her life cycle larger than this. She had already perfected the art of being HUGE, and rarely stepped on or destroyed her subjects and other items of worth by accident.

Amethyst attempted to mimic Bananas by using her shape shifting abilities. Her form was good, but she could only hold the massive size for a couple of seconds. Garnet seemed to be at a loss for words. Bananas size was one of her advantages when talking to corrupt Gems. NOW she was SO big, she would probably just scare all of them off...

The party nodded, and figured the best thing to do in this situation, would be to return to Toaster's house, and (perhaps) explain the odd dire consequences that resulted in this phenomenon. Their friends would need to know the status of the planet anyway. Garnet knew the news of what happened during their mission was going to be difficult to explain...


	32. Going Home

As the warp pad in back of Toaster's house activated, the Crystal Gems (and an incredibly oversized kitten) staggered off of the platform. The additional height and mass made the trip MUCH more snug and uncomfortable. Bananas blushed in embarrassment. She couldn't help feeling like a large burden- and a smidge bit weight conscious. The leader had never worried about such things when using Warp Pads before, but she also didn't remember having to contort in such awkward positions just to fit on the transportation device either...

...stupid weirdly proportioned kitten-husk.

Garnet faced the massive animal, before reviewing the plan they had created during the trip over: "Bananas! You wait here, while we explain the situation to your family. It will lessen the shock."

The feline nodded, before sitting on the Warp Pad with obedience. The others nodded in agreement, walking out of the woods and toward the house.

\----------------

Gamma, Acapella, and (especially) Toaster had been incredibly worried about their friends. The Crystal Gems had been on this "mission" for three days now, with absolutely no news or word confirming their safety.

So when Garnet, Amethyst, Steven, and Pearl approached the house- Toaster was understandably enthusiastic!

...

...until she noted the nervous faces, and the absolute lack of her kitten friend! The Ruby immediately created the most horrendous conclusion in her mind from the window, and began to hyperventilate and heat up the house in distress! Had...had Yellow Diamond gone to the Rainbow Bridge?! Left forevermore?! Oh Stars! What was the last thing she had done?! That's RIGHT! She pushed her out of the room, and abandoned her in the hallway! She...she was a horrible friend! The Ruby began to heat up, and howl with her own distress! Acapella entered the room several minutes later, looking annoyed and worried. She had NO CLUE what had come over her little friend, but knew she needed to calm Toaster down quickly.

"LAAAAAAAA!"

"bwomph..." with a tiny thud, Toaster had fallen to the ground- asleep and peaceful again. That technique worked wonders! Acapella stared at the fallen Gem with concern, wondering what all of the fuss was about-before the Crystal Gems knocked on the back door. The Yellow Pearl opened it enthusiastically, before seeing her friends solemn faces.

"We need to talk." Garnet nodded in the most serious of manners.

\----------------

"A PARASYTE?!" Acapella looked terrified!

"-and that's not all!" The renegade Pearl nodded sadly. "There were TWO Kajius attacking Japan, AND about forty Xenomorphs were brought in while we were just...standing there!"

"KAJIUS?!" Gamma had joined in on the conversation, and found himself immediately confused and concerned for his parent's safety.

"That's not even the HALF of it!" Amethyst shouted in alarm!

"It's NOT?!"

Amethyst shook her head. "While we were there, Zed spotted Yellow Diamond in Steven's backpack!"

"Oh...oh no..." Acapella stared at Toaster sleeping soundly on the floor, looking most concerned. "Did...did they...confiscate her?"

"Not exactly..." Garnet knew she would have to choose her words carefully. "Yellow Diamond was able to convince the MIB to let her stay here. She was insistent on protecting you three- although she has too much pride to admit it."

"That's not surprising." Acapella nodded. "She's always been stubborn."

"Sooooo...where is she?" Gamma inquired, looking about.

A bead of sweat rolled down Garnet's face. "Well..."

\----------------

"OH MY STARS! WHAT HAPPENED?!" Acapella looked up at the massive feline with absolute fear and disbelief!

Bananas blushed, and drooped her head with embarrassment.

Garnet piped up: "Apparently, they restored a portion of her powers to help her protect all of you from threats- size included."

"Oh my! My...My Diamond!" Acapella's speech slipped as she gazed upon the massive animal with fear! The enormous size of the cat had triggered an unconscious response.

Bananas' hair bristled uncomfortably! "Acapella! PLEASE! This is difficult enough as it is! Don't fall into previous bad habits! You know I no longer enjoy you calling me such things!"

"Oh! I-I'm sorry." The Yellow Pearl blushed. "I think it was just the shock of the situation..."

Gamma walked around the feline, and glanced at her from every angle. "Where the stars are we going to keep you?! You're too big to fit through the house door..."

"Zed suggested she board with Lilly. Their sizes are similar." The renegade Pearl nodded in conformation.

"Huh...I GUESS that could work..." Gamma smiled! "Toaster's asleep at the moment, but I'm sure she'll be relieved to see that you're ok...no matter WHAT size you are!"

Bananas nodded in agreement. "I was NOT expecting them to change my height. I do apologize for the inconvenience."

Acapella sighed. "Well, what's done is done. Honestly? I'm much more worried about those Parasytes and Xenomorphs right now..."

"As am I." The massive kitten walked off of the Warp Pad, and immediately shivered slightly when she realized she had stepped on some wet leaves! The animal attempted to keep her composure. "They said they found a first stage Xenomorph in every cage at the local zoo. Xenomorphs lay their eggs in bunches. Someone had to plant them in each individual cage on purpose for them to effect all the Earth animals like that. Zed probably knew this too...which is most likely why he agreed to my demands. Those Xenomorphs were an attempted terrorist attack on this planet."

"Who would do such a thing?!" The renegade Pearl seemed a-gasp!

"I...I don't know...but I don't like it...not one bit!" Bananas' ears drooped in concern. "Honestly, there are a LOT of aliens that hate this planet, but I don't know ANYONE whom has access to Xenomorph eggs! They...are not exactly legal, sought out, or easy to find..." The massive kitten seemed quite upset at the entire fiasco. "I'm sure the MIB will send more letters explaining the situation as soon as they figure out what's going on. Until then, stay vigilant for weird things. This...ODD behavior almost seems like a hate crime against Humanity-I should know..."

The group nodded in silent agreement, before bidding "the best of luck" to each other and going their separate ways.

Even with her humorously huge size, Gamma had never seen the kitten act so seriously before. He often forgot that despite her appearance, she WAS (technically) a leader at one point...even if she was a BAD leader...

The frog decided to break the ice. "Come on Bananas. Let's get you inside and wipe your paws off..." The feline looked down in surprise! Gamma must have seen her shiver after stepping on the wet leaves.

The kitten smiled. "I can wash them myself. I just need a large container of water. I thank you for the offer though- Gamma!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toonfreak Yesterday: "I will be patient, and post these chapters one day at a time..."
> 
> Toonfreak Today: "POST ALL THE THINGS!!!!!!!" XD
> 
> ...
> 
> I have no self control....
> 
> -_-;;;


	33. Ol' MacDonald

"NANA! YOU GREW!" Lilly wagged her tail, and approached her friend happily as the massive kitten struggled to climb into the structure.

"Erph...uph...yes Lilly...I grew..." with one final tug, the cat managed to tumble inside of the building. She ended up doing a front flip, and landing on top of her corrupted friend!

Several seconds of struggle later, the duo had smooshed themselves next to each other. Neither of them could move.

"HUFF...I don't think this is going to work..." The kitten's back leg began to fall asleep.

"LILLY AGREES. NANA GREW TOO MUCH!" The corrupted Gem attempted to struggle and nudge her way back outside of the house. The kitten poofed up as her tail was accidentally stepped upon!

\----------------

The duo found themselves outside of the bungalow...attempting to come up with a way to fix this new problem.

...

"LILLY WILL FIGHT NANA FOR THE TURF!"

"No...no...none of that..."

...

"WE ONLY STICK OUR HEADS IN EITHER SIDE?"

\-----------------

This idea had much more promise. Lilly stuck her front into the door leading to the backyard. Bananas stuck her front half into the main door.

The result was humorous- like some kind of weird modern-day sculpture. The two massive animals faced each other on the inside of the building.

"Lilly?"

"YEAH NANA?"

"Your breath REALLY stinks."

"LILLY SORRY."

"Lilly?"

"YEAH NANA?"

"My rump is cold."

"LILLY'S BUTT IS ALSO UNCOMFORTABLE."

\----------------

The two friends exited the building once more- attempting to think of another plan.

"HMMM...PERHAPS LILLY FIND CAVE? THAT'S WHERE LILLY STAYED BEFORE MEETING NANA..."

"Lilly! I'm not sending you back into the wilderness! Remember all that stuff that got stuck on you?! Besides, this is YOUR special place! I'm not taking it away from you!"

"WOW!" Lilly began to tear up with admiration! She attempted to wipe the gratefulness away using her paw. "NANA IS GOOD FRIEND! LILLY REALLY WANTS TO FIND NANA A NEW HOME NOW!"

"Hmm...let me try something..." The Diamond desperately attempted to use her shape shifting abilities to make herself smaller.

...

The kitten managed to create a digestive tract. It seemed the massive cat could still eat (if she wanted to), but without her full spectrum of powers; turning into a different animal, or changing her size was out of the question.

The leader sighed before getting rid of the stomach quickly. It would be incredibly wasteful to become hungry at such a large size. "I...I don't know what to do Lilly! I'm stuck..." The kitten dipped her head with sadness.

"HMMM...NANA! YOU SHOULD ASK TOAST! SHE IS GOOD AT IDEAS!" Lilly nodded.

\----------------

Unfortunately, Toaster was still quite asleep. Bananas stuck her eye against the house window to see if she could get anyone else's attention. She spotted Yellow Pearl picking up some dirty dishes, and carrying them to the sink...

"OH MY STARS!" Acapella screeched in surprise as she saw the massive cat eyeball staring at her through the window of the house! The incident spooked the Gem so badly, that she ended up falling backwards- resulting in all the dishes breaking and shattering in the process! The Pearl huffed in the greatest amount of annoyance, before storming out the front door... "WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?! YOU NEARLY DISSIPATED MY FORM!"

Bananas blushed. "Is Toaster awake yet? Me and Lilly can't fit in the spare room at the same time...we thought she might be able to help?"

Acapella "humphed" and "hawed", before suddenly coming to a realization! The Pearl smiled maniacally, making the giant cat more nervous than not. "I...actually have an idea! I know where you can stay!"

"You...you DO?!"

"Yes indeed! Follow me..."

Bananas obliged, and was actually quite grateful, until she saw her previous Pearl stand on the Warp Pad. The kitten's expression went dull. "How far away are you taking me? I can't really help protect you guys if I'm on a different part of the planet..."

"Not far...not far at all! The next town over in fact!"

The kitten (nervously) stepped onto the Warp Pad, and stood on her hinds to fit during the journey. The light surrounded the duo, before dissipating.

\----------------

The warp reactivated in a place with rolling hills and an oddly-shaped barn.

"TAA-DAA!" Acapella presented the farm with glee!

"HUH! That DOES look to be about the right size! How did you know about this building?"

"The Gem that lives here is one of the Peridots that helped Toaster when her form was dissipating!"

"Oh! Ah...someone already lives here than? I don't want to take up someone's entire living quarters..."

Acapella shrugged. "Never hurts to ask..."

The massive cat followed the Yellow Pearl to the barn, before Acapella banged on the door with rude force! "Hey! Hey Peridot! Are you here?!"

Instead of a Peridot, an extremely annoyed-looking Lapis opened the door. She glanced at the Yellow Pearl before her gaze transitioned to the massive kitten.

"Hmmmm...no." The Lapis slammed the barn door in the duo's faces.

"WHAT THE-?! RUDE!" Acapella had seen this Lapis before- specifically on the MIB bus to Damage Control. While the Pearl recognized her, the duo had never really talked or been acquainted with one another. Acapella immediately heard bantering inside the barn:

"LAPIS! WHO WAS THAT?"

"Meh...no one important."

"LAPIS! YOU CAN'T JUST CLOSE THE DOOR IN SOMEONE'S FACE!"

"Well...I just did."

"UGH!"

There was immediate rustling from inside the barn. Peridot quickly re-opened the door. "OH! Acapella! It's you!" The green Gem seemed excited to have company! It took about two seconds before Peridot realized that there was a giant cat standing behind her friend. "WWWAAAAHHH! Wha-WHAT THE STARS IS THAT?!" Peridot pointed at the kitten both terrified and intrigued! "Is-is that a young Felis silvestris catus?! Why is it so...BIG?! Even Steven's pink animal friend isn't THAT big!"

"This is Bananas." Acapella beckoned toward the feline. "She had a recent growth spurt, and we can't fit her in the house anymore. I was hoping you could assist us with your wisdom- especially after helping Toaster and Gamma!"

"HA! Another puzzle for the great Peridot! Come in! Come in!"

The trio went into the barn. Bananas noted that the building was a decent size to lay down. With a satisfied: "Merf!" The kitten did just that!

"Huh! She seems to like it here!" Peridot grinned.

Lapis looked down from the barn's loft. "You can't keep her in here Peridot! There's not enough space for both her AND our Morps!"

"Sure there is! I could just move MY Morps outside!"

"I don't want that giant thing in here! She could create holes...or step on Pumpkin!"

"I'm SURE she wouldn't do THAT..." Peridot looked up at the creature, deep in thought... "HMMPH...she IS rather LARGE, isn't she?! I wonder..." The green Gem annoyingly began to poke at Banana's paw. The kitten quickly tucked the paw under herself so that it couldn't be bothered.

"Fascinating!" Peridot softly poked Bananas in the side...

"HUFF!" The animal shifted herself away from the annoying Gem before settling again.

Acapella was confused. "What ARE you doing?"

"I'm testing her temperament! I saw a Human do similar things on a TV show about animal companions! She's done very well so far! If she bites or nips, it means she is not a good family pet. It's important to test these things...considering her size..." Peridot re-approached Bananas, and began to poke her in the side again!

"MERF!" With another annoyed grunt, the kitten shifted quickly to the other side of the room. The feline stared at the Kindergartener with annoyance.

"Ha! She seems a bit annoyed, but did not attack! A good sign! At least she doesn't anger as quickly as Yellow Diamond! Am I right?! What A CLOD!"

"I BEG YOUR PARDON?!" Bananas shouted in the most regal of voices!

Peridot's color completely drained, as she slowly stared at the massive cat. Lapis was equally surprised! She used her water wings, and flew down to the floor level quickly!

That voice...it couldn't be...

Peridot looked like she was attempting to speak-but no words were coming out. She finally managed to squeak: "M-My Diamond?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this one. LOL!  
> XD


	34. Debate

Out of pure instinct, Lapis immediately manipulated all of the water from her "smaller-than-average lake". The blue Gem quickly contorted the liquid into a massive hand, and grabbed Bananas by the middle!

"MARRR!" The kitten yelped in surprise as she was forced out of the barn, and held in mid-air outside! The feline struggled in a panic, but quickly went limp once she realized she was quite stuck!

"YELLOW DIAMOND!" Lapis gave the kitten a look of death! "WHY ARE YOU HERE?! I KNEW THAT YELLOW PEARL WASN'T TO BE TRUSTED!"

Acapella ran outside, completely beside herself! "OH MY STARS! BANANAS! LET HER GO!"

"NOT IN YOUR LIFE CICLE! SHE TRIED TO SHATTER PERIDOT WITH A DIAMOND COMMUNICATOR!"

"SHE HAS CHANGED HER WAYS YOU- YOU- IDIOTIC LAZULI!"

"YEAH RIGHT!"

Peridot ran out of the barn in a hurry, while looking over the chaotic scene! Her voice was nervous as Hell, but she was quite insistent: "L-Lapis! Please release my Diamond..."

"ARE YOU NUTS?! IF I LET THAT...THING...GO NOW, SHE'LL SHATTER US ALL!"

Peridot screeched back: "IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN WHY DIDN'T SHE JUST DESTROY US IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"

...

Peridot had a good point. Lapis sighed with annoyance. "I'm going to regret this..." The blue Gem allowed the water to fall back into place. The large kitten landed on the ground with a gargantuan: "THOOM!"

Peridot ran forward quickly to make sure the cat was ok. "OHMYSTARS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT MY DIAMOND?!"

The massive animal grunted in annoyance.

Peridot continued: "Wha-why did you shape shift yourself into a large Earth pet my Diamond?!"

"I DIDN'T! This form was chosen for me against my will...and PLEASE stop calling me "your Diamond"! It makes me feel...EXTREMELY uncomfortable..."

"Of course my Diamond!"

Bananas "Huffed" in annoyance, before rolling over-completely damp and soggy. She attempted to shake herself-resulting in massive amounts of water spraying EVERYWHERE. Acapella was less than amused. Her outfit now completely damp from the deluge of liquid.

Lapis looked skeptical. "I don't get it. Why are you here?"

The kitten responded in annoyance: "WELL! If you MUST know..."

\----------------

...

By the time the story had ended, the sun had already begun to fall. It seemed every time anyone had to explain anything around here, the tale would become longer and longer.

"-and THAT'S why I'm here today!" The massive kitten nodded as the story ended.

"WOW! THANKS! That was an amazing tale my Diamond!" Peridot had stars in her eyes!

"I TOLD you not to call me...(sigh...)" The monarch lied down in the grass- too frustrated and tired to argue with the idiotic Peridot.

"Well, I'LL be HAPPY to call you BANANAS...BANANAS!" The Lapis emphasized the nickname in a way that made the kitten embarrassed and ashamed.

The cat huffed again. "I just need a place to sleep and get out of the rain. I have already had practice being larger than everyone else, and AM cautious with my footing. I do not break things accidentally on a regular basis. It is part of a Diamond's training to be aware and careful when around smaller objects and subjects..." the kitten nodded.

"Hmmm...Peridot? May I speak to you...PRIVATELY?!" Lapis was insistent.

"Uhhh...YES! Be right back My Diamond!"

The massive cat sighed in frustration as the duo walked to the back of the barn.

Lapis began whispering in a stern matter:"(We CANNOT keep a Diamond here Peridot! It goes against EVERYTHING we've worked for!)"

"(If you can forgive the Crystal Gems, certainly a Diamond can change her mind as well?)"

"(But she TERRIFIES you! Remember how scared you were when you called her a Clod?!)"

"(I technically just called her a "Clod" again, and she didn't hurt me...)"

"(Why the STARS are you defending her?! You know how many horrific things she's done in the past...)"

"(I-I don't know Lazuli! She seems genuinely apologetic...)"

"(Well, I don't want her here! Who knows when her temper will flare up again...and then what?! We'll be out a living space, AND ALL of our Meep Morps!)"

"(Hmmm...she IS known for her quick temper...)"

"(Ya think?)"

"(Maybe a test?)"

\----------------

The two Gems passed the massive cat, and entered the front of the barn again. Several seconds later they both came outside, carrying a plump orange something...

Peridot got the cat's attention. "My Diamond! I would like to introduce you to...Pumpkin!" The green Gem placed the living gourd on the ground.

"ARF! MAR!" The dog-like gourd ran towards the massive cat in excitement!

Bananas seemed...incredibly surprised as the plant barked at her and ran around in a circle... "CAT! CAT! BIG CAT!"

The massive kitten was unsure if the creature was trying to scare her off, play with her, or simply inform her owners that there was a "cat" here. Bananas decided to attempt to talk to the odd thing: "Erm...hi. My name is Bananas. Are you "Pumpkin"?"

"PUMPKIN! PUMPKIN! THAT'S ME! I'M PUMPKIN! CAT! CAT! CAT! CAT! CAT!" The gourd woofed in the most annoying of manners...

Bananas sighed before creating a natural fence around the creature using her soft arms...

The gourd yelped in surprise before Bananas lied her head down peacefully. Pumpkin eventually settled down as well, and began to nap...leaning against the kitten for warmth.

Peridot and Lapis didn't know how the monarch would react to the vegetable, but it seemed that the Diamond had acquired patience and empathy while on Earth.

"Huh..." Lapis was reluctantly impressed. The old Yellow Diamond would have been disgusted and offended by the organic gourd.

"See? See? I TOLD you she's changed!" Peridot looked smug.

"Hmm...well...I guess I owe you one of my Morps than..." it was obvious the duo had made a bet.

Acapella smiled. "Sooo... can she stay or...what?"

Lapis shrugged. "Whatever. But as soon as she even THINKS about hurting Pumpkin or Peridot-she's OUT." The blue Gem spread her wings, and took flight back into the barn in a huff.


	35. Can You Keep a Secret?

Back at the house, Gamma was experiencing panic and anxiety like never before! The frog was desperately attempting to call his parents using the computer, but was only receiving messages stating that: "The line was down".

Toaster finally woke up from her long nap, and approached the Keronian with concern.

"Gamma? I've been sleeps...what's going on? Where's Acapella n' the Crystal Gems?...OH! BANANAS! IS BANANAS OK?!" Panic suddenly flooded over the little red Gem!

"Bananas is fine Toaster. She's with Acapella."

"OH! Thank the STARS!" The Ruby smiled. "I thought something really BAD had happened to her!"

"Why would you think that?"

"I didn't see her with the Crystal Gems when they were walking up to the house..."

"Oh. Hmn." Gamma was almost non-responsive. He seemed to be increasingly upset with the computer situation.

Toaster tilted her head with curiosity. Her friend was acting...strange. "Are you ok Gamma? You seem super quiet."

"I can't get a hold of my parents Toaster...the communication lines aren't working."

"Dat's OK!" Toaster nodded. "They always fix stuff like that quickly!"

"No...no...not THIS time."

The little Ruby was more confused than ever. She had only seen her frog friend this solemn on occasion. "Why don't you just visit Japan using the Warp Pad?"

Gamma suddenly turned to Toaster in the most serious of matters. He stood up quickly before grappling the little Gem's shoulders, and shaking her a bit. "TOASTER! TOASTER! COULD YOU TAKE ME THERE?! CAN YOU HELP ME USE THE WARP?!"

"Egh...ehhh..." it was obvious that Gamma's strange behavior was making the Gem uncomfortable. "I-I'm sorry Gamma...I don't know which Warp leads to Japan-"

The frog looked incredibly hopeless.

"Agh...erm...but Acapella knows where it is! She's been there before! She knows where it is Gamma..."

The Keronian perked up at this news, before rushing out the back door, and waiting impatiently for the Yellow Pearl to return on the Warp Pad. Toaster jaunted after him as quickly as she could- huffing and puffing. "Gamma? GAMMA! What's going on?! You're acting weird..."

The Keronian dug through his mind- attempting to find the words to inform Toaster of his behavioral changes. He decided to avoid the situation entirely. "I just REALLY miss them Toaster..."

The Ruby nodded- "You just want to see them huh?" Toaster understood.

Gamma nodded back.

\----------------

The forest was almost dark by the time Acapella warped back home.

"ACAPELLA! ACAPELLA! I need your help! I need to go to Japan!" The Keronian was desperate and obviously very upset.

The Yellow Pearl seemed surprised by the urgency in the frog's voice! "Gamma...I just got home-"

"-I...I can't contact my parents! The computer isn't working!" The Keronian wailed! Acapella froze as she recalled how accommodating the frogs had been during her Birthday visit. The Pearl looked toward the frog, before nodding in the most serious of manners.

"HEY! HEY! Acapella! Where's Bananas? I wanna go to Japan too! I've never been!" Toaster seemed blissfully ignorant.

Acapella answered quickly. "Bananas is fine. She's having a...erm..."vacation" at Peridot's house."

"OH! Ok than!" Toaster nodded in understanding. "That's neat! Can we go to Japan now? Gamma misses his family!"

"Mph." Acapella put her hand on the Ruby's shoulder. "Toaster...you have to stay. We need someone to take care of Marshmallow, Lilly, and Nymphicus."

"But...but...I wanna go! I NEVER get to go!" Toaster pouted and crossed her arms.

Acapella sighed. "We'll take you on the next trip...ok?"

"herph..." The little Ruby was frustrated, but compliant.

Gamma hopped on the Warp Pad as quickly as he could, before the duo disappeared in a magnificent ray of light!

\----------------

As the two aliens beamed to their destination, the awkward silence was interrupted by the most concerning of conversations.

The Pearl started: "Did you tell her about Bananas size?"

"No."

"What about the Parasytes, Kaijus, or Xenomorphs?"

"OF COURSE NOT! She'll have nightmares!"

"We're going to have to tell her eventually."

"NO. WE WON'T. Toaster has been through enough stress!"

Acapella glanced at the frog before sighing in frustration. "What about when she sees Bananas?"

"Growth spirt."

"Invasive aliens?"

"Not on Earth."

"Okay- NOW you're just making her ignorant! She may act like a Human pebble, but all Gems come out of the crust- fully formed! Toaster's over 6,000 years old!"

"I'm still her father! I know what's best for her...I-I have to protect her as much as possible..."

Acapella shook her head. "I think it would be more important to prepare her, than protect her. Toaster will be around for a LONG time...YOUR life cycle, on the other hand, is finite. Who will protect and lie to her when you're gone?"

"I'm NOT lying! I'm just...avoiding disturbing details to keep my daughter happy." Gamma looked sheepish.

The Yellow Pearl stayed quiet. This argument was idiotic, and she couldn't convince her friend otherwise.

...but, perhaps, Japan COULD.

The light around the duo subsided as the Japanese forest appeared...

...CHAOS.

THE TREES WERE ON FIRE!

THE SHRUBS WERE ON FIRE!

THE GROUND WAS ON FIRE!

Gamma yelped in surprise! Acapella worked quickly, and withdrew the massive spatula from her gemstone! The Pearl grabbed the frog, and used her tool to make a small pathway through the woods- digging up dirt and dust to snuff out the flames that had gotten too close or big. It was a good thing Acapella already knew the way to the hidden alien village- otherwise she would've been COMPLETELY lost!

As the Pearl zoomed through the underbrush, the village finally revealed itself- completely covered in flames, smoke, and ash!

Gamma used his flexibility to quickly wiggle out of Acapella's grasp. "MOM! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU!? IT'S YOUR SON! GAMAMA!" The frog shouted to the heavens!

"THIS WAY YOU IGNORAMOUS!" Acapella grabbed the Keronian's hand quickly, and ran toward his parent's house- coughing and sputtering the entire way!

The house was in horrendous shape. The roof had caved in from the burning inferno! "FRACK!" Acapella shouted as she let go of the frog, and bolted into the dangerous situation without a second thought. The Gem used her superior strength to lift the pieces of broken, heavy, wooden structure that made up the collapsed house.

"MYAA! NYAAA!" A familiar call cried in the distance!

"(Nibbles...)" Acapella coughed to herself- her form surrounded by smoke!

"MYAAAN!" The Gem finally found the loyal Cabbit! Prolulu and Atmomo were passed out under a massive pile of debris! The Cabbit had fur missing, and char marks from staying behind for her family. One of the small pet's legs also appeared to be broken- probably crushed by some loose debris. The Cabbit was too injured to transform into her ship form...

Acapella bubbled the trio quickly, and carried the family outside. The yellow sphere burst as the Pearl panted with exhaustion. She glanced around, and immediately panicked! Gamma was GONE!

"WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU...YOU...COLOSSAL IDIOT?! YOU BETTER NOT DIE ON ME!"

"THE RICE FIELD! THE RICE FIELD!" Gamma's voice rang through the orange and red landscape.

The Yellow Pearl picked up the frog's kin, and quickly jaunted toward the nearest rice field. In the small pool of water stood aliens of every race and type! Gamma had heard their shouts of fear after Acapella left him behind. The group of 22 aliens looked burnt, exhausted, and traumatized. The crowd had run into the water making up the crop to avoid the fire.

Acapella sighed in relief. "Dumb Keronian...scaring me like that..."

"MOM! DAD!" Gamma ran toward the Pearl in a hurry, before grabbing each parent individually and checking their vitals. The Keronian looked as spooked as ever! "They're unconscious! We NEED to get them away from the smoke! They NEED oxygen!"

"OK! OK! CALM DOWN EVERYONE! FOLLOW ME! WE'RE GOING TO WARP YOU ALL TO SAFETY-" Acapella attempted to take charge of the situation...she WAS probably the MOST qualified of the group...after all!

"BOOM! BOOM! GRALALALALAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A mighty roar bellowed suddenly from the distance. The group of aliens standing in the rice field suddenly all looked up and behind the Yellow Pearl in absolute terror! Eyes dilated...the crowd began to shiver uncontrollably!

Acapella's expression turned dull. "Let me guess...whatever made this horrific mess is standing right behind me...isn't it?" The Pearl turned around and bore witness to a MASSIVE 328-foot reptile, with three heads, and a set of wings.

"GRALALALALALALALALALALAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The gargantuan Ghidorah roared with intimidation! The three heads shooting flames into the smoky atmosphere!

"Well! That's...just...PERFECT." The Yellow Pearl knew there was no way in Hell anyone in this small crowd had the power to destroy something THAT massive. "RUUUUNNN!" Acapella picked up Gamma's family quickly again, and made a b-line into the flaming forest; desperately attempting to find the Warp Pad through the fire.

"GRALALALALALALALALA!" the Kaiju spewed out more fire toward the town in a pint up rage- the small group of aliens ran juuuust fast enough to avoid being cooked to death! "BOOM! BOOM!" The giant followed its prey! The aliens clung to each other's hands and clothing so that they would not get lost.

The Pearl finally found the Warp Pad - the thing was scorching hot to stand upon, but it seemed the crowd of aliens were willing to get temporary third-degree burns on their feet, over getting roasted to death. Once everyone was accounted for, Acapella activated the Warp as quickly as possible...

...mere seconds later, the mighty Kaiju stomped on the device, and broke it into a billion bits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup...we're back into the chaos. Prepare yourselves.....


	36. Doctors

Thinking quick on her feet, Acapella instructed the Warp Stream to travel to the MIB Headquarters. She recalled how well the medical team there took care of Gamma during his time of need. She was also unaware of any other alien medical facilities in the first place...

\----------------

Upon arrival, it was blatantly obvious that the branch of government was overwhelmed!

Phones rang!

Cells were filled to capacity with various dangerous alien pests!

The massive crowd Acapella had brought in was largely ignored by Human and Alien employees alike! They were all running about in a panic- papers in hand!

Slightly shocked, the Yellow Pearl took charge again, and informed the aliens to follow her to the "sick ward".

\----------------

The medical facility's chairs were already all occupied. One human seemed unconscious with a horseshoe-like crab plastered onto his face. Another human child was desperately attempting to prevent herself from becoming hysterical. An unbreakable box had been connected to her leg. Apparently, this was to prevent her own foot from eating her. The foot had been asleep before growing eyeballs and a set of arms which included two knifes. The resulting Parasyte was hacking away at the box incredibly frustrated, as the little girl howled in fear! There was another man who had suffered major bites on his side from...something. The doctors seemed to be running about in complete anarchy- similar to the rest of the building. Acapella forcefully approached the flustered secretary before explaining the situation. The woman probably only heard half of what the Gem had said, between answering the phone, and writing things madly on her notepad.

Finally, the lady glanced up, and saw the two unconscious, burnt, Keronians- as well as the remainder of the crowd. "I'm sorry it's so hectic today. We're having to prioritize patents by the severity of their wounds...if you could just have a seat..."

The group ended up sitting on the floor. Gamma cursed to the heavens as he attempted to talk to his two parents- hoping the duo could hear him: "Mom...Dad...it will be ok! You'll see! They'll make you better, and then you can stay at our house! You guys will be able to to teach Toaster all sorts of stuff! Like...how to make a space omelette...or play sports! She'll LOVE that!" Gamma began to cry with grief as he continued to talk to his lifeless kin.

The man with the horseshoe crab on his face went in first for major surgery. Gamma's parents were admitted secondly- seeing the duo was SO ill that they were completely unresponsive. Gamma attempted to follow as his parents were wheeled away on stretchers, but the medical team was insistent that the frog stay in the waiting room. The facility was already too crowded to allow visitors.

Cursing and praying under his breath the frog sat back on the floor.

The little girl with the Parasyte in her foot went next.

A nurse came out to survey the large crowd of aliens with char and burn marks all over. "I'm not going to lie to you guys. At this point, we don't have enough time or room to tend to all of your burn wounds. I would HIGHLY suggest to try regular remedies until the wounds heal. You'll all be sitting in this waiting room for DAYS otherwise..."

"Wha-what about Nibbles? Her leg is broken..." Acapella held up the adorable little Cabbit whom was crying in grief and pain!

The woman sighed. "Nibbles is a PET. Dominant alien species take priority in these situations. I'm sorry." The doctor looked incredibly sad as the little animal wailed in the most heartbreaking way possible!

Acapella "humphed" in frustration! She internally wondered if she could pass the creature off as a rare Earth rabbit, and bring her into the ASPCA for treatment...

A majority of the massive group of aliens began to leave the waiting room, and thanked the Pearl and Keronian for saving them as they walked by.

With the crowd dispersed, Gamma piped up again: "Acapella...I need you and Nibbles to go home and keep Toaster company. Reassure her, and make sure she's safe. I'm...I'm going to stay here with my parents. Tell Toaster I decided to spend the night at their house...or something."

Acapella was going to rebuttal at this request, but simply nodded as she saw the grief on her friend's face.

The Pearl headed back to the nearest Warp Pad- Cabbit crying in toe, as she glanced at all the chaos around her.

Who was doing this? Why? The Yellow Gem wondered about the future of this planet. It seemed like all order here was being torn apart by the seams...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter...I hope you guys don't mind!


	37. Nibbles

Toaster was in Lilly's part of the house. She had carried over Marshmallow and Nymphicus (still in his cage of course).

Lilly was curious with the two smaller animals, but found the Cabbit much more interesting than the bird. Marshmallow was currently hopping about, and using the massive corrupted Gem as a climbing mountain!

Lilly turned to her side- the Cabbit hopping quickly in sync to stay on top of the "mountain". The fluffy corrupted Gem lied on her back, and pawed at little Marshmallow carefully, but playfully.

Nymphicus had finally calmed down from the shock of seeing the massive Lilly. He was currently making quiet squeaking sounds as he preened and cleaned his feathers.

...and yet...it had been such a long time since Toaster had felt THIS alone. She loved her animal-like friends...OF COURSE she did! But none of the three could hold a decent conversation. The little Ruby was scared. Bananas was gone. Gamma was gone. Acapella was gone. The Crystal Gems were gone. Toaster attempted to make herself feel better, by pulling Fred out of her gemstone and hugging the plush.

The Ruby began thinking to herself. Everyone had been acting SUPER weird and awkward! Toaster may have been more immature than most Gems, but she wasn't an idiot. She knew something was wrong...she could FEEL it. If nothing else, the Ruby was very observant when it came to other people's feelings.

"NAAAPH?"

Toaster jumped! Marshmallow had bopped her forehead against the Ruby's leg in worry. "Mehph?"

"Oh! Marshmallow!" Toaster picked up the bunny-like animal with affection! "Marshmallow...you're worried about everyone too, huh?"

"Mef?" The Cabbit tilted her head in confusion. The Ruby sighed, before putting the pet on the floor again.

"GRAAAHHH!" Lilly walked up to Toaster, placed her massive head on the Ruby's lap, and wrapped her arms around the upset friend.

"MMPH! LILLY! HA-HA-HEE! Lilly! You're heavy! Heeeee!" Toaster fell over in bliss!

"GRAAAA!" The corrupted Gem gurgled in playfulness, and refused to move.

"OOF! Lilly!" Toaster smiled! "Get off..."

"GRUMPH!" Lilly refused.

The Ruby sighed in defeat. Lilly's fur was warm. Toaster felt a bit better. At least Lilly was here to protect her from scary stuff...

\----------------

Acapella entered the house several hours later. Nibbles' leg was still mangled and broken, but the animal was now asleep. Acapella had sung her a lullaby.

"Toaster? TOASTER?! Where are you?" The Pearl shouted for her friend as she placed the sleeping Nibbles on the couch. "Toaster?!"

The Yellow Pearl checked all of the Ruby's favorite hiding spots- her bedroom, the kitchen cupboards, behind the house heater...

...no Toaster.

Acapella's fear rose tenfold once she found out that Marshmallow and Nymphicus we're missing as well! "TOASTER?! TOASTER YOU CLOD! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

\----------------

Acapella finally checked Lilly's quarters, and sighed with relief when she found the remainder of her family asleep in a dog pile.

"Good Grief..." The Pearl sighed again, before retreating back to the house to get Nibbles, and bring the injured Cabbit into Lilly's special area. Acapella sat on the floor in the corner of the room, and began to doze off as well. Lord, it had been a long, busy, day...

\----------------

"Acapella! ACAPELLA! You're home!"

The Yellow Pearl awoke with surprise! It seemed Toaster had finished her nap, and was currently overjoyed that one of her more..."talkative" friends had returned!

Groggily, Acapella glanced at the Ruby-half asleep. While the Pearl showed little emotion, she was happy that Toaster looked so relieved. This feeling disappeared quickly, however, when the Ruby started asking questions:

"Where's Gamma? Why are you holding an extra Cabbit? Why does she have burn marks? How was Japan? Is Bananas doing ok? Why are you covered in ash? Why is everyone acting so weird?"

"Guh...erm..." there were too many questions at once. Overwhelmed, the Pearl answered as honestly as she could without making Gamma upset... "Gamma's with his parents. This is their pet Cabbit, Nibbles. She desperately needs surgery on her leg. There were no vets available, so I brought her home hoping the ASPCA could help her. There was a bit of a fire- hence the burn marks and ash- nothing to fret over. Bananas is fine...she just decided to sleep at Peridot's house tonight."

"Oh...was...was everyone else ok in the fire?"

Acapella nodded with a guilty look on her face. She really DID feel uncomfortable lying to Toaster like this...

"Woof! You must have had a crazy night Acapella! So many weird things goin' on..." Toaster smiled. She was happy to have her fellow Gem back home and safe!

"Indeed...Toaster? Do you think Sarah and the other people at the ASPCA could help fix Nibbles' leg?"

"Hmmmmm...not sure. Cabbits are not an Earth animal, eh?"

"No...no they are not. I was thinking about telling a lie, and pretending like she was an Earth Rabbit..."

"A bun?" The Ruby thought to herself. "A new breed of bun! We'll tell her it's a new breed!"

Acapella nodded in agreement, before leaving Lilly's part of the house to make the phone call to the ASPCA...

\----------------

Sarah was surprised upon seeing the new breed of "rabbit". "BOY! You guys weren't kidding! She's adorable, but I have NEVER seen a rabbit with long whiskers on their eyebrows, nor ears THAT HUGE before! She's absolutely amazing! Where did you say she was from?"

"Japan." Acapella nodded.

"I see..."

"MWAAN! MERRR!" The animal had woken up again, and was crying in pain-struggling to move with her injured leg.

"Can you fix her foot Sarah? She's a nice bun!" Toaster pleaded.

"I think I can figure it out! Her skeletal structure is very similar to a regular rabbit..."

\----------------

As it turns out, Nibbles had two fractures, and one bone that was completely broken. After examining the X-rays, the medical team had to perform surgery. The doctors agreed to place an internal metallic stint into the leg, before sewing up the surgery wound. The process would make the healing go faster.

Nibbles was handed back to Acapella and Toaster- with an included cast, and neck cone to prevent itching. The Cabbit was still very woozy and sleepy from the medicine.

"Keep the cast dry, and make sure she doesn't climb on couches or stairs. It will take two months for the leg to heal." Sarah nodded.

"Thank you Sarah! You've been a good help!" The Ruby nodded.

"Bah! No trouble at all! She's a very interesting bunny!" The woman smiled.

\----------------

As Acapella exited the building, she began to gloat! "I can't believe that actually worked..." the Pearl was proud of herself!

"Me eithers!" Toaster agreed.

"Well, at least Nibbles can heal properly now!"

\----------------

Nibbles woke up several hours later on a pillow that had been placed on the floor.

"murf...nnnn?" The Cabbit was still very tired and dizzy from the surgery. As her eyesight became more clear, she saw Marshmallow staring at her literally inches away from her face! "MAAAA!" Nibbles yelled in shock!

"MYAA! NERFL!" Marshmallow began to hop in excitement! She jumped in a circle!

Nibbles noted that the other Cabbit was much smaller in size- a young pup. "Merf..." The older Cabbit perspirated in exhaustion. She was in no condition to entertain a baby.

"MYAA! MYAA!" Marshmallow pawed at Nibbles medical collar playfully!

"MARSHMALLOW! LEAVE NIBBLES BE!" Toaster grabbed the baby Cabbit quickly. "She's not feeling goods Marshmallow! Let her sleeps! Here...I'll play with you upstairs..."

Toaster took her pet to her room.

"HUFF..." Nibbles sighed before falling asleep again.


	38. It's Never Easy

Gamma had been in the waiting room of the MIB medical facility for over two days now...with not much to show for it. He couldn't sleep.

There was a fairly constant flow of sick humans and aliens both entering and exiting the facility...many of them with the same side effects he had seen before. The Keronian took note of the remedies. Folks with nasty bites ended up with stitches. The man that had the horseshoe-like crab on his face exited with bandages around his belly. The little Human girl who had a Parasyte in her foot came back out- on crutches, and completely amputated of the infected leg.

Sometimes Gamma would stick two of the waiting-room chairs against each other in hopes of getting sleep and creating a pathetic improvised bed. More likely than not, nurses would shake the Keronian awake, either asking him to give the chairs to the more sickly, or to see if the frog was sick himself. Food was fairly non-existent here. There was a vending machine, but Gamma had no money- not that it mattered anyway. The Keronian wasn't exactly hungry. The frog would frequently ask the receptionist if there had been any updates on his parent's status. The woman always shook her head in sadness, before offering the frog a peppermint.

By the second day, Gamma looked absolutely horrendous. Bags under his eyes made his face look sunken in. With nothing to drink, his skin became dry and peeled from dehydration- he could not produce his own musk. The situation became SO bad, that the poor creature ended up falling asleep on the floor near a fake plant in the corner of the room- just to get some decent rest. His mind produced nightmares of the worst type, resulting in the alien gasping himself awake on multiple occasions.

\----------------

Finally, FINALLY after three days, the receptionist called Gamma's name. Exhausted but alert, the frog darted to the woman to find out what was going on.

The Human did not look cheerful. A bad sign.  
"Gamama, the doctor would like to speak with you...privately." Another bad sign.

The woman opened the door for the Keronian, and led him into a secondary waiting room within the facility. This room had a table, and some old magazines, but at least it was empty of the sick and disturbing patients that the frog had been witnessing for days. The creature cursed to himself a bit before waiting...yet again.

\----------------

A Human doctor entered the private waiting room about 45 minutes later, looking quite depressed. Gamma noted that this man had probably not gotten much sleep within the last few days either. "Are you the son of Prolulu and Atmomo?"

"Yes...YES! Those are my parents! Are they okay?! I've been waiting for so long..."

"I am truly sorry for the long wait Mr. Gamama. We've had both of them on oxygen for several days now..."

The Keronian nodded in agreement! This was just what his family needed to feel better after the fire.

There was a pregnant pause, before the doctor continued: "-They have both been steady and in a coma-like state until this morning. I...do hate reporting these things..." the doctor looked away with sadness. Gamma's eyes turned large in absolute shock! "We tried EVERYTHING...Gem tears, fluids, helping them hydrate with sponge baths and water...nothing worked."

"Wha-wha...are you SURE you tried everything?!"

"Everything. The both of them took a turn for the worst at the same time early this morning. It was...very odd...almost like their hearts were in sync!"

Gamma said nothing, but began to tear up with the most horrendous of realizations.

"They...don't have a lot of time left. I figured you would want to say goodbye. At this point, I am unsure if they can hear you or understand, but it's worth a shot..."

\----------------

As the doctor led Gamma into his parent's hospital room, Gamma could immediately see what the man was talking about. Both parents were connected to tubes of fluid and various wires. The duo also had oxygen masks on. The heart monitor seemed to beep slower with each passing moment. While both Atmomo and Prolulu looked extremely pale and malnourished, they also seemed...peaceful.

"I'll give you guys some time." The doctor excused himself, and exited the room politely.

Gamma ran over to his parents-tears in his eyes. "MOM! DAD! Please, PLEASE don't leave me! I'm...I'm not ready yet! You still haven't had time to play with your granddaughter! Please! I feel like I just got you back in my life! Please don't go..."

Gamma held both of his parent's hands at the same time. "See?! I'm here, and I love you! Please...there's still so much I want you to experience..."

The heart monitors continued to slow. Gamma hugged both of his parents individually-desperately. Perhaps this was like the movies...where if you hugged the loved one juuust enough, they would open their eyes! It would be miraculous! They would begin to stir, and smile, and whisper something into Gamma's ear! YES! that's all they needed! More love! More affection!

Gamma hugged harder- as hard as he could! "I...I love you guys. Please...please don't leave me..."

The heart monitors continued to slow.

A single flat line- both at the exact same time. Gamma wailed to the heavens, before doctors rushed into the room, and pushed Gamma out quickly. To add insult to injury, the medical team attempted to revive the two old Keronians. They tried chest presses. They tried electricity.

Nothingness.

Gamma couldn't take it.

He ran.

He ran from the hospital room, he ran through the hall, he ran through the waiting room, he ran through the MIB hallway. He ran, and ran, and ran. They couldn't be gone! He had JUST saved them! He had JUST seen them during Toaster's birthday! He had JUST thanked them for Marshmallow!

The Keronian found an odd nook in the wall of the MIB hallway. He curled into a tiny ball here, hoping he wouldn't be noticed. As he wept, wailed, and cried uncontrollably a foul odor was immediately released- more powerful than any scent the Keronian had released before!

\----------------

There was a brief evacuation of the building. At first the MIB agents thought there might have been a biological weapon. Several professionals followed the ungodly smell with gas masks on, before locating the traumatized frog, and placing him inside of a sanitary smell-proof container. The scent slowly dissipated from the outside of the cube, but the Keronian refused to move from his defensive stance. He continued to curl himself into a tiny, red, ball, in hopes of being unbothered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Comic Con- we're getting a Steven Universe MOVIE!
> 
> Everyone else: YAAAAY!
> 
> The Toonfreak: (crying) yaaaaaay... ;,; (I wrote this thing while the SU panel was going on at Comic Con. I really AM super excited...but lord, I was crying SO HARD while writing this chapter...)


	39. The Crying Box

No one knew what to do with the little Keronian in the box. The MIB ended up placing the item inside of Mary's office in hopes that the woman could talk Gamma out of his smelly funk. Her attempts, however, only resulted in miserable sobs and speak so distorted from mourning, that it was impossible to understand.

The box was then moved to Zed's office. As it turns out, the agent had HORRIBLE bedside manner.  
"COME, COME, NOW! YOU'RE A SOLDIER! When MY parents died, I wasn't even allowed to attend their funerals! You're a MAN! Start acting like one! You don't need your MOMMY anymore! Stop crying!"

"WWWWAAAAAIIIILLLL!" Gamma began to heave in grief at the comment! This MIB agent! So cruel! Such a bully! Zed reminded the frog of the other Keronians that used to taunt him because of his name! On his planet, there was NO shame associated with grieving a loved one! "WWWWWWWAAAAIIIIIILLLLL!" The frog continued his upset serenade!

...

\----------------

Several hours of wailing passed. Eventually, Zed could take the noise no more! He decided to call Lucky over the intercom to move the annoying creature: "Lucky! Would you please remove this...crybaby from my office?!"

"..."

"LUCKY! HEY! LUCKY!"

"...I'm sorry Zed. Lucky isn't here." A different secretary answered the intercom.

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!"

"She's taking a sick day sir."

"A SICK day?! Gems don't get SICK! What kind of bull is this?!"

"I...I don't know sir...her sister, Iris, is also taking a sick day."

"GOOD GRIEF!" Zed face palmed himself. "Than YOU deliver this...Keronian to her quarters! Just...get him OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

"Y-yes sir."

\----------------

Sure enough, an hour later, the box was delivered to the sister's internal MIB apartment.  
Lucky opened the door, her vision completely obstructed with tears. The Yellow Pearl gasped slightly as she looked down and spotted the transparent box with the seemingly small red and brown orb on the inside. The Pearl looked about the hall in both directions with curiosity. It seemed the delivery person had disappeared. Lucky brought in the odd glass package and carefully placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Iris entered the room several minutes later; weeping and crying as well. The sight of the new blurry red and brown box made her jump! "LUCKY! Wha- what IS that?!" The Pearl pointed at the object with shock!"

"For once, I'm just as confused as YOU Iris! I have NO clue WHAT this is! It looks like a glass box with a strange ball on the inside..." Lucky poked the box with curiosity...

"WEAT!" The box made a squeaking sound! Both Pearls jumped! "What the?!"

The frog finally uncurled himself from his defensive stance, and looked around the apartment with curiosity...

"OH MY STARS! IT'S GAMAMA!" Lucky shouted in shock!

"WHAT THE?! IT IS?! WHY'D THEY PUT HIM IN A BOX?! GET HIM OUT OF THERE!" Iris sounded more than a little offended.

\----------------

...

After much finagling, the box was finally forced open.

Gamma was currently sitting on the Gem's couch with a cup of tea in hand. He was blushing terribly. "I-I'm sorry if I'm intruding. I...I know I probably smell awful..."

"Oh POSH!" Iris waved her hand in the most matter-of-fact manner. "We're used to it!"

"Used to it?!" The frog tilted his head with confusion.

"INDEED! Your parents always cared about you so dearly...when we were stuck in the same room together, they would frequently become emotional and worried about your safety! The smell was...shocking...at first...but you get used to it after a while!" The Pearl attempted to smile.

"I'm assuming you guys heard about my...current situation?"

Lucky butted in: "Of COURSE! Your parents were very good friends of ours. We were both DEVASTATED when we received the news...hence why we decided to take a few days off. Organics cannot reform like us Gems...correct? I'm so sorry for your loss..."

Gamma nodded. "Thank you for understanding. My parents always treated everyone they met with such kindness. They were the best family anyone could ask for..." Gamma began to cry again. He attempted to wipe several tears from his eyes. "I'm so glad they had the two of you as friends during their time of need..."

Both Pearls smiled at this. The Keronian's words meant the world to them.

The frog continued: "Jeez...I have no clue how I'm going to break this news to Acapella...or Toaster for that matter! Acapella spent a LOT of time with them during a vacation, and Toaster saw them as her grandparents..."

"Time never heals wounds this deep...but it does make things easier." Iris stated the wise quip after thinking for a few seconds.

Silence.

The Pearl continued: "HEY! HEY! Did you really get your head stuck in a bucket when you were a "tadpole"?!"

Gamma blushed slightly. "HA! They told you THAT story, huh? I was trying to wear it as a secondary hat! Completely ruined the bucket in the process though...they had to rip the thing apart just to get it off of my head!"

The two Pearls chuckled!

The trio spent the rest of the day sharing stories, playing board games, and bantering.

Gamma was still numb with pain, but was glad to be around others who knew his parents almost as well as he did...


	40. Truth

It was early the next morning when the telephone rang. Toaster was trying to get Nibbles to eat something...(carrot flavored baby food to be precise).

"Come on Nibbles! It's good! You LIKE carrots!"

"Mrrrrrgh..." The animal refused to open her mouth, and kept turning her head in the opposite direction as the spoon. "Mrrrrgh!"

Toaster sighed. She would have to use a syringe if the animal didn't eat on her own.

"RING! RING!" As the phone chirped its song, Acapella came running toward the device like a bat out of Hell! "I'LL GET IT! I'LL GET IT!" The Gem nearly fell onto her face as she ran to get the phone. "Hello?" Slightly out of breath, Acapella answered as politely as possible. "OH! Yes! This is she!...mmm-hmmm! That's right! How is-...oh. OH! Are you- WHAT?!"

Toaster looked up at her friend with curiosity as the tone of the room changed.

"No. NO! That couldn't possibly be true...I-I just saw them several days ago!" There was a pause, before Acapella lost all of her coloring, and covered her mouth with shock! The Gem began to cry, before dropping the phone on the ground.

There was a very quiet: "Hello? Are you still there? Hello?!" Coming from the phone's receiver as it dangled from the land-line's chord.

Toaster stood up quickly, concerned as ever! "Acapella! What's wrong?! Are you ok?"

The Pearl beckoned for Toaster to come closer before hugging her for comfort.

"Acapella! It's okay...what's going on?" Toaster hugged her friend back, in hopes of calming her down.

"Toaster...oh...Toaster...I-I...don't know what..." The Yellow Pearl looked down at the innocent Ruby with guilt, before hugging her even harder. "I'm...I'm SO sorry about this Toaster...this is the easiest."

"WHAT'S the easiest Acapella?"

"It's...it's time to take a nap."

"...but I'm not sleepy!"

"That's okay Toaster...forgive me." Acapella began to sing the Ruby a lullaby through her tears. Toaster's eyes started to sag, before the little Gem drifted, and began to snore.

...

The Yellow Pearl quickly carried her family member outside, approached the Warp Pad, and activated it. She had to go to MIB Headquarters...Gamma needed her.

\----------------

When Toaster woke up, she found herself sleeping in a bed that wasn't hers. It was dark here...not even a safe nightlight was present to scare away the monsters! Toaster grabbed Fred from her gemstone again, and held him dearly. The little Ruby than used the flashlight from her gemstone to check her bearings...

...

This was not a hotel room, nor a bedroom. The floor was hard and cold. The only piece of furniture here was the bed. As Toaster glanced around the room she saw her own reflection from every side...mirrors? No...windows. The whole place felt rather familiar...

The Ruby realized something in a sudden shock! She...she had been here before! It was the testing room! Yes, yes! The testing room at the MIB Headquarters, where she had shown Mary her weapon for the first time! They must've fixed the windows!

The little Gem let out a howl of confusion! Why was she here? Why was it so dark? Where was everyone? She didn't like being alone! The crying noise must have triggered SOMETHING...all the lights immediately turned on, resulting in the Ruby squinting in a bit in a daze...

As it turned out, Gamma and Acapella had been sleeping on the opposite side of the glass, on the floor, in sleeping bags. The duo jolted awake at the sound of their friend's cry!

"Oh! Toaster! You're up!" Gamma pressed his face against the glass.

"Gamma! GAMMA! What's going on? Why am I in this testing room? I'm scared!" Toaster got as close to the Keronian as she could, and placed her hand on the glass where the frog's forehead was plastered.

The frog could feel her heat slightly from the other side. "Oh. Oh Toaster. I'm sorry. I'm SO very sorry. I wanted to be a good parent...I wanted to protect you..."

"Gamma! You ARE a good ma! The BEST ma! What's going on?!" The little Ruby watched in shock, as the frog began to bawl heavily!

"I...I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you Toaster. There's been stuff going on lately...really BAD stuff...and no one can figure out why..." The Keronian paused, before looking up at his daughter's prison. "That's why they put you in this testing room Toaster. They were unsure how much heat you would produce once I told you the truth..."

"You-you we're lying to me Gamma?! Why?" The Ruby looked somewhat betrayed.

"I-I didn't want you getting scared or sad again. I wanted you to be...happy." The Keronian looked down in shame.

"Oh. You were trying to protect?" Toaster tilted her head in curiosity. She seemed to understand the motive, even if it was minimalistically.

Gamma nodded.

"How bad can it be?"

"REALLY bad Toaster! Bad and SCARY."

The little Ruby sat down and attempted to calm herself. She prepared herself for a shock. At least, this time, she knew something bad was coming. She nodded to the frog in agreement. "Go on Gamma. Toaster's ready. I'll try my best!"

The frog continued to cry. Such a brave daughter he had! Facing the scary truth head on like this! "I...I will start with the most shocking thing for you first- alright? To get the worst news out of the way..."

Toaster nodded.

"My...my parents...your grandparents-"

"Atmomomo and Proloo?"

Gamma twitched in conformation. "They...they are...they have gone-the-the- "Rainbow Bridge..."

Toaster's eyes became wide with shock! The Keronian began to sob uncontrollably to the point where his speech was near impossible to understand. The little Ruby was expecting something big, but NOT something so personal! The little Gem began to sob as well! The glass began to become too warm. Gamma backed away slightly, as his daughter heated up in an absolute depression! "WHA? HOW? WHO?! NO! NOES! I-I LOVED them Gamma! Why?! WHY?! Atmomomo and Proloo were NICE Keronians! WHY? WHO HURT YOUR MA'S?!"

"There...there was a fire...caused by a Kaiju...a big scary monster. He hurt a LOT of people..."

At the mention of a "fire" Toaster glanced at Acapella who had been sitting quietly this entire time. The Pearl looked away from her friend in shame...

Toaster came to a realization! "Nibbles...NIBBLES WAS THEIR PET!"

The frog nodded again. "Acapella found her in the fire. She was trying to protect my parents..."

"OH! Nibbles...she has no one nows! At least I still have you and Acapella! Who will take care of her?! She must be so SAD n' SCARED! No wonders she wasn't eating..."

"She can stay with us. If that's okay with you?"

Toaster nodded immediately, tears in her eyes. She felt instant regret that she, herself, was unable to spend more time with her "Grandparents". Poor Nibbles! Poor Gamma! The Ruby couldn't even imagine what it would be like losing HER ma...the thought forced fears to the surface of her mind!

"That's not all Toaster...do you want a minute to...collect yourself?"

Toaster attempted to stop crying, and held in her emotions! If she was going to cry, she wanted to do it all at the same time, and get it over with. The Ruby shook her head!

"-Alright than...here it goes..." Gamma took a deep breath. "-in addition, someone...we don't know WHO yet, has been sending dangerous and parasitic aliens down to Earth- Kaijus, Xenomorphs, really SCARY stuff like that!"

Toaster gasped! Why would someone purposely send such horrible beasts to this lovely planet?! What the stars?!

The frog continued: "-We believe it is some sort of alien terrorist group...someone who HATES Humanity! They are also the ones who sent that monster that killed my parents." Gamma had a sudden burning hatred in his eyes that shocked Toaster!

Honestly though, who could blame him? These awful aliens were killing Humans, and houses, and aminals, and Ma's! They were BAD. They were PURPOSELY sending creatures to the "Rainbow Bridge" before they were ready! Toaster immediately felt hatred toward this mysterious group! The glass heated up more in a mixture of anger and fear...

Gamma glanced at his daughter in surprise! He had expected a different reaction-sadness. Instead, Toaster was displaying rage and determination! The Keronian suddenly felt pride! He could tell that Toaster wanted to help save innocent lives as much as he did! "Ah- this is the last one..okay Toaster? Bananas-"

The Ruby glanced at her father- the most concerned expression replacing her determined one. "-BANANAS! IS BANANAS OK?!"

The frog seemed slightly sheepish. "-Yes, Yes! She's quite alright! She's just..a bit bigger now...to make a looong story short..."

Toaster tilted her head. "How much? How big is she Gamma?"

"-About as big as Lilly."

"WHAAAAAA?! How'd that happen?! How'd she grow so fast?!"

"She, (apparently), wanted to be able to protect us from the bad aliens more efficiently, pulled a few strings, and got some of her height back...accidentally."

"WOW! That's crazy! Why'd they do that?! I wanna see her!" Toaster seemed excited at the notion of having a BIG kitten, instead of a regular one!

Gamma figured Toaster would do better if the truth was reported from "worst" to "best". The amphibian sighed in relief. "Well Toaster? How do you feel?"

The little Gem thought for a second-completely overwhelmed. "I-I feel...sad, and hurt, and angry, and scared, and excited, and happy. I don understand Gamma...how am I feeling ALL the feels at the same time?! I'm confused!" The Ruby began to weep with stress!

"It's okay Toaster. Take some time to think it over...it's a lot."

"(lots and lots of stuff...)" Toaster mumbled to herself before crawling to another corner of the testing room...just to juggle the thoughts in her mind.

Gamma sighed in relief. Telling Toaster the truth had gone MUCH better than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo...how about that new Steven Universe episode, eh?!?!?
> 
> Not gonna lie guys- Yellow Diamond is STILL best Diamond.
> 
> She's just....so pissed off and unamused ALL THE TIME!!!
> 
> XD
> 
> Thanks again for all the feedback and comments BTW! Writing drama is NOT my specialty, so receiving good reactions from my awesome readers always lets me know that I'm doing SOMETHING right! LOL!


	41. Annihilation

As the world was being thrown further into chaos, Humans were still (overall) staying blissfully ignorant. Certainly there were reports of people acting strange and attacking others, as well as sadistic new "genetically bred animals", however, most of these "incidents" were labeled as such. These were blamed on normal things- drug-induced attacks, rabid dogs, something in the food, and such-and-so-forth.

...and then...the day arrived that shocked humanity to its core.

It was the middle of the night. The world was settling into a natural rhythm. Crickets were chirping, Girl Scouts were looking at stars, fireworks were celebrating the end of a fair!

At first, the massive object was mistaken for the sky. It was GARGANTUAN, and BLACK, and included tiny lights of yellow and white which someone might mistaken for stars to the untrained eye.  
Another firework was blasted into the sky! The Humans waited for the beautiful flower...

...

The rocket bounced off the "sky" before exploding low! The flower briefly lit up a massive mechanical monstrosity!

There was a unified "GASP!", and a brief pause. The mechanical sky opened multiple tiny doors. There were seemingly beautiful colors that fell to the Earth - bright blues, and reds, and oranges, and yellows! How lovely! The Humans were hypnotized with awe! If this WAS, IN FACT, the first UFO visiting our planet, it seemed that the small human firework had triggered some sort of wonderful show! The...the aliens! They were communicating with shooting stars! These were lights and colors of peace!

It was a mighty shame. All the Humans really DID believe they were witnessing the first peaceful contact with intelligent life from another world...  
...that is...  
...until one of the "beautiful shooting stars" turned out to be a MASSIVE pod that landed on the Ferris wheel, making the ride explode in a gigantic fire ball of shrapnel and terror.

Chaos.

The Humans screamed and began to scatter! Pod, after pod, after pod crashed to the poor planet at an alarming rate! The mothership was SO massive, that there was seemingly no escape! The gargantuan vehicle covered the moon, the sun, the stars!

Fire and explosions swept the land! Any animal or being that wasn't immediately crushed by the pods, lived long enough to see the horrors that exited from the inside! There were Daleks, and Clovers, and Angels, and Killer Klowns, and Man-Eating Venus Flytraps! There was maniacal laughter, and slaughter, and monsters, and destruction!

Things got zapped, and stepped on, and eaten, and crushed, in a massive bizarre event of horribleness!

————————

At the MIB Headquarters, there was a seemingly LARGE clap of thunder...followed by another...AND another! The building trembled with the Earth!

At this point, Gamma, Toaster, and Acapella were FINALLY together- giving each other love and support.

As the building began to shake, Toaster looked in every direction in absolute terror! "Wha-What's goin on?! Gamma! I'm scared!" The little Ruby embraced the Keronian in fear!

Zed was suddenly seen- running down the hallway, and hollering at the top of his lungs: "CODE X! WE'VE GOT A CODE X! EVERYONE TO THE SHIPS!"

Acapella watched in horror as the Human hollered while picking up a universal radio!

The signal was quick. The reaction was fast.

\----------------

Bananas was holding a basket full of vegetables with her mouth...

"As you can see My Diamond, growing Earth nutrients can be its own reward!" Peridot nodded smugly.

"Merph-muffle-meh?" The kitten seemed confused...and then, she saw it! The MASSIVE ship! "MMMMMAAAAAOOOOWWWW!" In a sudden burst of excitement, the gargantuan cat bellowed, dropped the basket, and ran toward the Warp Pad at top speed- crushing several crops in the process!

"Hey!" Lapis was NOT amused in the slightest! "What are you doing?!"

"I'LL BE BACK SOON! KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE!" The kitten activated the warp quickly, and soon found herself at Toaster's house. "TOASTER! LILLY!" The cat shouted into the darkness!

"NANA!" Lilly responded quickly before the kitten followed her voice briskly!

"LILLY! Where is everyone?!"

"TOAST, ELLA, AND MAH WENT ON WARP YESTERDAY! MALLOW AND INJURED MALLOW IN HOUSE WITH YELLOW FEATHERS!"

"Right...come on Lilly! We have to knock down a wall to the house!"

"WHA?! IS NANA CRAZY?!"

"NO time Lilly! COME ON!" The massive cat stood on her hinds and quickly bashed the front of the house in!

"MAAGH!"

"MER?!"

Both Cabbits interrupted their individual activities, and looked up at the giant Bananas in terror!

"LILLY! GET THE CABBITS! I'LL GET THE BIRD!"

"R-RIGHT! OK NANA!" Lilly helped Marshmallow coax the injured Nibbles onto her back.

Bananas (in the meantime) completely turned herself into a battering ram, and charged toward the staircase in a fit of rage! The house splintered in disarray as the kitten used her size to get to Acapella's room!

"WE-AH! WE-AH! WE-AH!" The cockatiel freaked out entirely, and flapped his wings in fright as the massive cat head grabbed his cage with her mouth.

"COMEF ONG LILLYTH!" Bananas informed the corrupted Gem to follow her to the Warp! The two gargantuan animals ran to the platform as the cat quickly activated the stream back to Peridot's barn!

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Lapis screamed to the heavens as Bananas slowly lowered Acapella's bird and cage into her arms.

The cat looked at the Lazuli in the most serious matter! "DO YOU SEE THAT MASSIVE SHIP ON THE HORIZON?!"

Lapis nodded.

"THAT'S AN EXTERMINATION SHIP! THAT...THING IS HERE TO DESTROY ALL RESOURCES, LIFE, ANIMALS, PLANTS, AND ELEMENTS ON EARTH! WE NEED TO GET OFF THIS PLANET, NOW! I...HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT'S DOING HERE!"

Lapis and Peridot looked at the kitten with absolute fear! The blue Gem quickly ran to the barn! "PUMPKIN! PUMPKIN! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"ARF!" The gourd barked in response!

"My Diamond! Get these animals into the barn!" There was a massive rush as everyone galloped into the structure!"

Lapis quickly used her "smaller-than-average-lake" To incase her home in water, and create a bubble of oxygen on the inside.

The entire structure lifted majestically!

"WAIT! WAIT! WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY MY DIAMOND?!"

"LILLY SAID THEY WENT SOMEWHERE ON THE WARP PAD! IF ACAPELLA IS WITH THEM, SHE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO! SHE TAUGHT ME ABOUT THESE SHIPS IN THE FIRST PLACE! WE'LL CATCH UP WITH THEM LATER! GO! GO!"

Just like that, the barn quickly floated through the sky, and took off in the direction of Steven's home...


	42. Evacuation

At the MIB Headquarters, all the agents corralled their Human and alien employees into various confiscated ships. Guests and alien visitors alike, were also welcome. Toaster, Gamma, and Acapella stayed close to each other, and found a set of seats on a ship. At this point, Acapella attempted to communicate with Bananas using her holo-screen. The reception was staticky and awful, but the kitten DID answer and inform that they were safe, and were also on the way to pick up Sarah and The Crystal Gems specifically.

Acapella sighed in relief before hanging up.

\----------------

As fate would have it, the MIB had been preparing for an incident like this for some time. The government branch had evacuation ships hidden in plain sight on almost every continent. Priorities were given to children, women, people of the scientific community, politicians, doctors, and anyone that showed intellectual promise. The ships all shivered out of their hiding places across the globe- from major landmarks, to being buried beneath the sands of the desert!

The ships made quick work, and used abduction beams and auto pilot to grab all the Humans on their list. As it turns out, Connie spending so much time with aliens gave her an advantage over most. She and her family were one of the first groups of Humans written on the invitation.

\----------------

"Please buckle your safety restraints. Some turbulence is to be expected!" A cheerful voice chirped over the ship's intercom.

Toaster was freaking out completely! "Gamma! Ma! What is this?! What's going on?! I'm scared!" The Ruby shivered! A nearby MIB agent overheard the conversation and poked the Keronian's shoulder. She whispered something into his ear, before the frog's eyes grew in fright!

Apparently, a "Code X" stood for "eXtermination". This planet had been targeted for demolition by a terrorist group, and was (essentially) about to become completely terrifying and uninhabitable. The Keronian turned to his daughter, and attempted to smile. "Don't worry Toaster! We might just be visiting Keron sooner than expected!"

"What about Bananas? N' Garnet? N' EVERYONE?!"

Acapella piped up: "I just talked to Bananas. She has all of our pets and friends and will meet us there."

"Wha? On Keron?!"

"No. At the rendezvous point."

Toaster didn't know what a "rendezvous" was, but it sounded very fancy!

\----------------

To the extermination ship's surprise, hundreds and thousands of various space ships from every culture in the cosmos began to rise from the Earth's soil!

Humans that had not been abducted by the vehicles, begged and wept for the future! There were children who had been separated and prioritized from their parents! Shotguns and riots broke out-fighting for seats and safety! One of the "safe ships" had been clung onto, and shot to the point of disarray. It could no longer take off. Greed had ruined the chance for survival, as the singular ship groaned, and re-landed...completely useless.

Some extremists cheered as they hunkered down in their food-filled, underground, bunkers! They had prepared for this day!

Many went to their building of choice, and began to pray. The massive extermination ship began to bellow a red cloud quickly upon the land! It was a poisonous gas...killing every plant and fish in its wake!

The various "safe ships" started their engines! At the same time, the extermination ship began to rev up its "death laser"!

In a unified din of surprise, all of the safe ships jumped to a warp speed- completely surpassing the magnificent mothership by distorting light!

Several seconds later, a massive green beam hit the planet- creating a horrendous crater in the planet's side!

\----------------

Lapis had collected her extra friends well in advance at this point. While the barn was INCREDIBLY heavy and overcrowded- the Gem managed to spot the direction all of the "safe ships" were going in using her view from the moon. Lapis heaved and grunted while carrying the massive cargo, while looking below at the Earth for one last time- thankful that she had been able to save her loved ones.

The planet had completely changed in color- from a beautiful green and blue hue- to an incredibly toxic-looking red. Lapis shed a tear, as she flew away as quickly as possible.

\----------------

What followed was massive panic and confusion. Some ships were completely filled with nothing but human children- wailing and pleading for their families! Many of the government officials had NO CLUE what the fuck had just happened! The Queen of England was still in her nightgown. Some of the officials were in casual clothing as well as their underpants. The United States President grumbled how this entire situation was the fault of every race and sex but his own.

The various ships suddenly slowed in unison. In front of them was the Galactic Council building.

THIS was the rendezvous point.

The vehicles began to land in mass causing horrible gridlock and traffic. Zed quickly took a universal radio, and instructed everyone to stay on their ships until further notice.  
The man immediately left his own vehicle in a terrible rage, and stormed toward the Council Woman's office- pissed off as ever.


	43. Reunion

Despite the aggressive raptor-like guards, Zed managed to push himself all the way to the Council Woman's front door.

"DAMMIT! LET ME GO!" The man wrestled with the dinosaurs in a fit of rage! "DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE WHAT HAS HAPPENED?! HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED?!"

"Let him in." The Council Woman beckoned from behind her curtain.

The raptors loosened their grip on the man. "THANK YOU!" Zed brushed himself off while "humphing" and "hawing" the entire time.

"Please...sit Zed." The woman beckoned towered a chair. "What has you so troubled?"

"OH! Like YOU don't KNOW?!"

"I...I am truly sorry Zed...I do not." The alien seemed honestly confused.

"THE EARTH...IS GONE! POOF! BOOM! GONE!"

"WHAT?!" The woman was not only shocked, but absolutely enraged. "That's...that's NOT possible! I saw the Earth, perfectly fine, less than four days ago!"

"If you don't believe me, see for yourself!"

The Council Woman's hand retreated behind the curtain quickly, before she checked her telescope, monitor, and instruments. There was a shocked "GASP!" before the arm re-appeared. "Z-Zed! HOW did this happen?!"

"Well, first there was the Parasyte, followed by the forty Xenomorphs, and then Japan was attacked by two gigantic Kaijus, a major fire occurred, and OUT OF NOWHERE- an Extermination ship landed on our surface and completely wrecked the place! We barely had enough time to escape with the survivors we have!"

"Ex-Extermination ship?! That couldn't be! Those ships are only to be used on planets with MASSIVE pest problems...and only after the council votes on the procedure!"

"...Well, I guess WE looked like PESTS to someone!"

There was an uncomfortable pause, as the alien furrowed her brow. "I HOPE that you are not implying what I think your implying Zed..."

"I'm just saying- lots of alien species "booed" at Humanity during the Homeworld VS Keron trial. If this wasn't a MAJOR miscommunication involving paperwork, then it's obvious that we have a Human hating species on our hands. This was an act of terrorism!"

"Are you implying that someone from MY court calculated this?!"

"I'm NOT denying it. YOU were the one that forced us to join the Galactic Council! I TOLD you it was a BAD IDEA, but NOOOOOO...you forced us to do it anyway!"

"Don't lay this guilt trip on ME Zed! My hands were tied! I had to make an immediate decision!"

"Why don't you tell that to all the ships filled with orphaned children that I have downstairs then! Explain that the reason they don't have a family OR a planet anymore is because of your "DECISION". YOU made this mess, and YOU better find a way to FIX it; SO HELP ME GOD...WE DON'T HAVE A HOME ANYMORE DUE TO YOUR COUNCIL'S BUREAUCRACY! YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH A GOOD PLAN- AND FAST! SEVERAL BILLION HUMANS DIED TODAY BECAUSE OF THIS ATTACK! Zed stood up from his chair, fuming in a rage! "You better fix this- my planet's blood is on your hands!"

...and with that, Zed stomped out of the room in a fury- leaving the Council Woman alone with her guilty thoughts.

\-----------------

As the MIB agent entered the shipping docks again, he decided to use his universal radio to try to bring some organization to this mess. "Alright! I would like everyone to leave their designated ship single file! Humans to the left, all other species to the right! If you're in a family unit, PLEASE stay together!"

As the massive crowd of refugees piled out of their "safe ships", Gamma, Toaster, and Acapella began to look about franticly for the remainder of their party. There was such a massive din of crying children and stunned adults, that no one noticed when a gigantic barn being tugged along by water made a (rather large) "THOOM" sound upon landing at the very far edge of the parking place. Exhausted from the sheer weight of the thing, Lapis collapsed on the tile floor- panting and struggling to stay awake. The water bubble surrounding the barn dispersed in a massive spray, before Peridot zoomed out to check on her barn mate! "LAPIS! LAPIS! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

The blue Gem gave a feeble "thumbs up" from the ground. Peridot sighed in relief. "Wow, thanks Lapis! You saved everyone! You did a good job! A VERY good job!" the green Gem smiled.

\----------------

Toaster, meanwhile, was becoming hysterical as she searched the massive crowd for her friends! "BANANAAAAAAS! MASRSHMALLOOOOOOW! WHERE ARE YOU?!" The Ruby waited several seconds, before hearing a very familiar:

"MAAA! NEFF!" from the crowd! The baby Cabbit wove between the legs of the massive group quickly and swiftly, before bounding into the Ruby's arms!

"MARSHMALLOW! THERE YOU ARE! YOU- YOU'RE SAFE! I'M SO HAPPY!" Toaster began to cry in relief.

"MAAAA! NAAAA!" The Cabbit licked the Ruby's face in affection!

"HEEEE! Marshmallow! Can...can you show us where the others are?!"

"MERF!" The Cabbit bounded back to the floor, before meowing, and waiting for the trio to follow her.

\----------------

Sure enough, the (slightly tattered) barn at the end of the ship bay began producing MASSIVE amounts of familiars! The Crystal Gems were fine. Peridot and Lapis were okay. Even Lilly and (a slightly dazed) Sarah came out of the building! Bananas stood at the entrance, doing a head count and making sure everyone had left the barn safely, before looking over the crowd in desperation, hoping to see the rest of her family among the din.

It didn't take long. Marshmallow made a quick b-line to the ship- the family trio following close behind!

"OH! Nymphicus! You're here!" Acapella tore the cage away from Peridot (who happened to be holding the pet), before hugging the metallic bars in relief!  
"S-SQUAK! Ch...Cheer..." The cockatiel seemed to be shaking slightly- not from the cold, but from the shock of a gargantuan cat biting his cage, and being flung through the cosmos!

"Mer...merfle..." Nibbles jaunted slowly toward the Keronian. Even though her foot was still bandaged up, she tried her best to walk towards the frog all the same.  
"Oh. Nibbles..." Gamma picked up the elderly Cabbit in affection. "I guess we both lost a part of our family this week, huh? It's okay...I'll take care of you..."  
"Merf." The creature closed her eyes and began to sleep. The Keronian's odd scent seemed to calm her. He smelled the same as Atmomo and Prolulu.

"WOW!" Toaster finally spotted the mighty Bananas! "Bananas! You really DID grow!" The Ruby hugged the kitten's massive leg- overjoyed that her friend was safe! Bananas had a smug look about her as Toaster complimented her with praise!

...

After hugs were exchanged among the massive, grateful group, only ONE questioned remained: "What to do NOW?"

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Aliens With Trapper Hats: Alternate Ending](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012298) by [The_Lampman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lampman/pseuds/The_Lampman)




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